01-02-2022: Former Minister J&K and senior Congress leader on Tuesday heavily criticized the Union Budget 2022 announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He shamed the BJP Government for blatantly ignoring the needs and necessities of the common people of the country in the Budget. ‘There is nothing in that budget for the middle class, for the working class, for the farmers, all of the people who collectively make up the majority population of the country. The budget represents a capitalist government whose economic goals are confined to the upliftment and betterment of their rich corporate friends.’, he commented.
The former Minister stated that the Modi government is on a very destructive path, in the sense that they represent the capitalist and individualistic interests of their business friends in the financial budget of the country. On the other hand, the interests of the common man which include jobs, growth, infrastructure, education are sidelined and even ignored for the most part. People were expecting the government to understand what they had gone through. People who are suffering terribly at the hands of inflation and unemployment expected some relief from this budget. However, this budget was a huge blow to their expectations. Extensive privatization of profitable government resources for the benefit of the Corporates is also a reflection of the same attitude. The government has adopted a very nonchalant attitude towards the sufferings of the people and this attitude is clearly visible in the budget which has no provisions for the youth dealing with unemployment and inflation, no provisions for the families whose livelihoods were crippled by the combined effect of the pandemic and a ruined economy. It is not wrong to say that this government is all talk and no action.
The former Minister further added that Budget 2022 is a major disappointment for the common people. The government is boasting off about huge GST collections. But the main question that arises here is who are they collecting the GST from? Middle-class men and women are already suffering on account of a hundred other problems produced by the same government. On one side, the treasury of the government is increasing but on the other hand, it’s the people whose wealth is being drained. There is no mention of that. The flip side is that people who need to be taxed, the ultra-rich corporates, are being favoured by the government through one deal or another and all wealth is accumulating in their hands. The poor are becoming poorer, while the Adani’s and Ambani’s of the country are becoming richer by the day, increasing their wealth rapidly at the cost of other people.
Furthermore, he slammed the government for releasing an unrealistic budget, particularly in direct tax measures, again disappointing the people. There is nothing to boost consumption or support and promote small businesses, businesses that had lost so much during the pandemic. Sawhney also questioned the government’s stand on Cryptocurrency and whether there is any regulatory mechanism to be put into place. Poverty and unemployment are on the rise and there are no relief measures being taken by this government. Merely enlisting big goals for climate change, climate action, sustainable development, or economic growth is not doing justice to the people of the country who are worried about their present, he said.