New Delhi [India], February 1: The Congress party has expressed strong disapproval of the Union Budget 2025, accusing the government of using it to further its political agenda ahead of elections. Congress MPs criticized the budget for lacking clarity and for being focused on electoral gains rather than addressing pressing national issues.
Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala raised concerns about the budget’s focus on specific states, particularly Bihar, while leaving out states like Telangana. He suggested that the budget appeared politically motivated, with an emphasis on certain states to secure votes. “The budget reflects a political agenda, and we can clearly see the political motive behind it,” Chamala said.
Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi also dismissed the budget as “directionless,” accusing the BJP of selling off national assets for personal gain. “There was nothing for key sectors in the budget. States like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Rajasthan, and UP were completely ignored. The BJP is selling everything to their own ‘East India Company,'” Channi stated.
Shashi Tharoor, another Congress MP, questioned the government’s focus on middle-class tax cuts while failing to address unemployment. “While tax cuts for salaried people may be applauded, the real issue is the lack of jobs. Where will the income come from for those who don’t have a salary? Unemployment was not mentioned, and that is the real crisis,” Tharoor remarked. He also pointed out the irony of the BJP pushing for ‘One Nation, One Election,’ while using each state’s election as an opportunity to gain political advantage.
DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran criticized the budget as “confusing” and suggested that it was aimed at winning votes in the Delhi elections. He highlighted contradictions in the budget, specifically the tax proposals, which initially promised no taxes for incomes up to Rs 12 lakhs, but later introduced a 10% tax slab for those earning between Rs 8 and 12 lakhs.
In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar to support the production, processing, and marketing of foxnuts, a significant local crop. She also revealed plans to establish Greenfield airports and expand Patna Airport’s capacity to meet the state’s future needs.
Sitharaman also highlighted the Western Kosi Canal ERM project in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar, which will provide financial support to farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land. Additionally, she announced the establishment of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management in Bihar to promote food processing activities in the region.