Haryana Leaders Clash Over Union Budget: Mixed Reactions Emerge

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini praised the Union Budget, calling it balanced and development-oriented. Conversely, senior Congress leaders, including Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala, criticized it as disappointing and neglectful of key sectors and social groups. The differing opinions come ahead of Haryana's upcoming elections.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday hailed the Union Budget, describing it as balanced, all-encompassing, inclusive, and development-oriented.

Saini remarked that the Budget will serve as a milestone in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' or developed India. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her seventh consecutive Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, marking the first budget of the Modi administration's third term.

Conversely, senior leaders from Haryana's Congress party, which faces elections later this year, have voiced their disapproval. Congress general secretary Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala termed the Budget as ''disappointing''. Surjewala criticized the Budget for offering nothing substantial to farmers, the unorganized sector, or labor-intensive industries, and noted its lack of provisions for social groups like Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Backward Classes (BC). Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda echoed these sentiments, calling it a 'disappointing Budget'.