BJP loyalists hail govt's decision on tax exemptions

BJP members and their allies brought the Lok Sabha down thumping tables and chanting "Modi, Modi" when Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday announced a tax exemption for people earning less than Rs 5 lakh annually. The Minister prefaced his remarks with concerns for the middle class and made the pre-election budget announcement with a bonanza for those who mostly constitute the salaried and pensioners.

The announcement was met with loud thumping of desks by a majority of parliamentarians and a beaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress President Rahul Gandhi did not seem impressed by the move. The thumping soon gave way to loud chants of "Modi, Modi" by the treasury benches. Goyal could resume his speech only after the chanting abated.

(With inputs from agencies.)