Chidambaram Criticizes Union Budget for Addressing Unemployment and Inflation Poorly

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has criticized the Union Budget, labeling unemployment as the country's biggest challenge and claiming government responses are insufficient. He also critiqued financial incentives, inflation handling, and the quality of healthcare and education, calling for better policies and reforms in various sectors.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday slammed the Union Budget, describing unemployment as the 'biggest challenge facing the country' and labeling the government’s response as 'too little' to make a significant impact.

Chidambaram also took jabs at the government over financial incentives announced for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, suggesting it was a move to secure political support from TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar. 'These are lifelines. Mr. Modi is saving the life of his government,' said Chidambaram at a press conference held at the AICC headquarters.

The Congress leader further critiqued the budget for proposing dual income tax regimes and claimed that initiatives for employment and apprenticeship offered in the budget were adopted from Congress' manifesto. He emphasized issues of inflation, poor quality of education, and insufficient healthcare funding, stressing that the government’s efforts were insufficient to address these critical areas.