Rahul Gandhi Criticizes Union Budget as 'Kursi Bachao Budget'

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticized the Union Budget as a 'Kursi Bachao Budget' and accused it of making hollow promises to BJP allies. He alleged the budget to be a 'copy and paste' job from the Congress manifesto, while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her seventh budget.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday criticized the Union Budget as a 'kursi bachao budget,' accusing it of making hollow promises to BJP allies at the expense of other states.

Gandhi, the former Congress chief, also alleged that the budget was a 'copy and paste' job of the Congress manifesto for the 2024 polls and previous budgets.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for 2024-25, her seventh consecutive presentation, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. This marks the first budget in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office.

In a social media post, Gandhi said, 'Kursi Bachao Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets.' The Congress also criticized the Union Budget as being 'more focused on posturing than action' and claimed the 'copy-paste government' has borrowed heavily from the party's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The opposition party further alleged that the government had tacitly admitted that mass unemployment is a national crisis and said the budget has political compulsions written all over it.