‘Union Budget is sour,trepid and unimpressive’

SP,BJP,Left parties,JD-S and BJD were critical of the Budget while RJD chief Lalu Prasad struck a conciliatory tone and described the Union budget as 'balanced' one.

Samajwadi Party,which is extending support to the government,on Monday joined the opposition in ridiculing the General Budget,terming it as “sour”,”trepid” and “unimpressive”.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad,who had criticised the Rail Budget two days back despite his association with the ruling UPA,however,struck a conciliatory tone and described the Union budget as a “balanced” one.

SP,BJP,Left parties,JD(S) and BJD were critical of the budget even as the Congress hailed it.

“While the Rail Budget was sweet and sour,this budget is only sour,” SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said while reacting to the Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament.

He particularly said farmers and rural areas have been neglected in the budget.

“I do not see any great message in the budget. It is timid,trepid and unimpressive,” senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said.

He said he would have expected the government to list steps it was taking to fight global recession but the budget had nothing on it.

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Sinha said the fiscal deficit has gone up and there was no boldness shown by the Finance Minister as focus on infrastructure projects like roads,airports is missing. JD(S) President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said there was nothing in the budget for the farmers.

“I am deeply hurt. The farmers and the farming sector have been ignored,” Gowda said.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta described the budget as “inconsequential and insufficient” which “fails to address the economic challenges facing the nation”.

He said the allocations listed in the budget for various sectors like infrastructure,power,National Rural Employment Guarantee programme and agriculture are “too less”.

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Lalu Prasad,who had been immensely critical of the Railway Budget,said Mukherjee had tried his best to present a balanced budget in the given situation of global recession.

The former Railways Minister said the Budget focuses on infrastructure-related projects and programmes like NREGA and Health Mission which will ultimately benefit rural people.

Prasad also welcomed the concession given to senior citizens and women in income tax.

The former Bihar Chief Minister,however,regretted that “nothing” has been given to Bihar and for rehabilitation of Kosi flood-affected people.

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“Government should have done something for the rehabilitation of the flood victims but it is missing in the budget,” Prasad said.