Union Budget prepared to protect interests of capitalists: Jharkhand CM

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday claimed that the Union Budget, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, was prepared "to address the interests of capitalists and big industrialists". Soren said he had recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give a tribal university to Jharkhand, but the budget mentions only a tribal museum.

"I met Prime Minister Modi and requested a tribal university for Jharkhand. But the budget mentions opening a tribal museum … Once again tribals have been hoodwinked," he said. Alleging that the budget frustrates the poor, the farmers, the labor force and the unemployed, Soren said, "Economists are analyzing the budget and only after their analysis, it can be ascertained how it will help the progress of the country, what impact it will have on our financial system and to what extent it will meet expectations of the people. But prima facie, the Union Budget is not visionary."

"The Union Budget has been prepared, keeping interests of capitalists and big industrialists in mind. There has been an attempt to give relief to big industrialists, who evade tax, through the budget. Now they neither have to pay interest nor penalty if caught evading tax," Soren told reporters here. He further said that the budget has failed to give a much-needed income tax relief to the middle-class.

"The budget is also an attempt to encourage disinvestment of public assets, which is not in the interest of the country," Soren added. "The budget is contrary to common people's expectations. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not spell out what steps the government is going to take to confront unemployment, price rise, and poverty," the chief minister said.

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