Maharashtra left empty-handed despite being major driver of GDP: Cong's Wadettiwar on Budget

The Union Budget has once again dealt a blow to Maharashtra and left farmers, workers and the middle class deeply disappointed, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said on Sunday. Asserting the Budget reflected an anti-farmer mindset, Dighole said the Centre had ignored rising production costs, increasing labour wages, higher prices of fertilisers and seeds, and the growing debt burden on onion growers.

The Union Budget has once again dealt a blow to Maharashtra and left farmers, workers and the middle class deeply disappointed, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said on Sunday. Addressing reporters in Nagpur, Wadettiwar alleged Maharashtra has been ''left empty-handed'' by the Centre despite being the largest contributor to the national exchequer and a major driver of India's GDP. ''The Centre collects taxes from Maharashtra but diverts funds to other states. This is nothing but injustice to the state,'' the Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party leader claimed. Criticising the Budget's approach towards agriculture, Wadettiwar said farmers have been ''left in the lurch'' as there is no concrete provision for crop prices, storage facilities, cold chains or new markets. ''Despite rising fertiliser prices, increasing input costs and the unresolved issue of minimum support price, the Budget offers only announcements without any tangible benefit for farmers. There is no focus on strengthening agricultural infrastructure,'' he said. Wadettiwar also questioned the government's commitment to technology-led growth, pointing out that while funds were announced for artificial intelligence at the Centre, even the previously announced Rs 500 crore allocation for AI in Maharashtra remained unutilised. ''This budget is designed to benefit a handful of industrialists, while the country's food providers are once again ignored. The Budget has failed to to address rising economic inequality and lacks concrete provisions for the empowerment of SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities,'' he said. ''Young people are struggling for jobs, but the government has no clear roadmap for employment generation. Inflation remains unchecked, and the middle class is burdened with higher taxes without any corresponding increase in income,'' Wadettiwar said. The Congress leader also accused the Centre of weakening federal principles by offering no relief to states through the Finance Commission recommendations, despite mounting financial pressure on them. ''Be it Smart Cities or schemes replacing MGNREGA, the government focuses on announcements on paper but fails during implementation due to lack of funds. The Budget is an exercise in number juggling aimed at extracting money from the common people to benefit select corporate houses. This Budget does not deliver justice to farmers, women, workers, salaried employees or the middle class,'' he asserted. Maharashtra State Onion Growers Farmers' Association founder president Bharat Dighole also slammed the Budget and claimed it had betrayed onion-growing farmers and ignored their pressing concerns. While the government swiftly imposes export bans, duties and conditions whenever onion prices rise, it has failed to offer any relief at a time when farmers have been receiving very low market prices for several months, he pointed out. Asserting the Budget reflected an ''anti-farmer mindset'', Dighole said the Centre had ignored rising production costs, increasing labour wages, higher prices of fertilisers and seeds, and the growing debt burden on onion growers. ''The government has once again sacrificed farmers in the name of price control and added to the distress of onion producers,'' he claimed. Unless the Centre immediately announces direct financial assistance, assured prices and stability in export policy for onion farmers, protests would be inevitable, Dighole warned.

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