The Congress party labeled the Union Budget 2024-25 as "discriminatory" and "dangerous," and announced that its Chief Ministers—Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, Revanth Reddy of Telangana, and Sukhvinder Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh—would not attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting scheduled for July 27 in the national capital.
M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of the DMK, has also declared his intention to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a form of protest.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal criticized the Union Budget, stating, "The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, which completely goes against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union government must follow. In protest, INC CMs will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for 27th July."
He further argued, "This government’s attitude is completely antithetical to Constitutional principles. We will not participate in an event that is solely designed to hide the true, discriminatory colours of this regime."
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered an 80-minute Budget speech outlining several new measures, including an increase in the standard deduction in the new tax regime from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, adjustments to tax slabs in the new regime, reductions in Customs duty on gold and silver, the introduction of three employment-linked incentive schemes, and an allocation of Rs 2 lakh crore for job creation.
Despite these announcements, Congress criticized the budget as merely a "Sarkar Bachao" Budget, driven by political motives to sustain what they describe as a "lame duck" government.
Venugopal took to X, remarking, "The Budget will do nothing to address inflation or solve the farmers’ crisis. It has absolutely nothing for the middle classes. Much like the 10 (previous) Budgets, this Union Budget is also far removed from the concerns of the ordinary Indian."
He added that while the government has finally acknowledged the need for job creation, its announcements are insincere and ineffective. "They could not even properly copy from our Nyay Patra," he said.
Venugopal criticized the Budget for offering grandiose figures while delivering minimal real benefits, calling it a "cruel joke on the future of India’s youth." He concluded that every segment of Indian society will face worsened conditions due to this Budget and that the government remains disconnected from the people's struggles, focusing solely on its own survival.
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