Trinamool terms Interim Budget 'vote-oriented'

The Trinamool Congress on Monday termed the interim Budget 2019-20 as "vote-oriented" and questioned the Narendra Modi government's track record on providing jobs, alleging that unemployment is at an all-time high in the last 45 years. Participating in the debate on interim Budget in the Lok Sabha, Trinamool member Saugata Roy also criticized the government's decision of demonetization, saying that it had taken away lakhs of jobs and adversely affected the country's economy.

"It looks like the Finance Ministry has been outsourced. The Railway Minister is presenting the Budget. They have two MoS (ministers of state), but a civil aviation MoS is defending the government," he said in a jibe at the government. "The government is not releasing the NSSO data on unemployment because it is at the all-time high. The NPAs (non-performing assets) of banks have crossed Rs 11 lakh crore. The Bankruptcy Code has recovered only Rs 3 lakh crore," he said.

Roy accused the government of weakening institutions like the Reserve Bank of India by interfering in their autonomy. "The government tried to apply betadine (ointment) to the wounds of demonetization. The government knows it is in doldrums. The Prime Minister is facing black flags in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and the northeast. Now they are announcing Rs 6000 (per year) to farmers," he said.

On defence allocation, he said it was only one-fifth of what China was spending. "Of this, 20 per cent will go to Rafale and the deal has exposed their chinks in their armour," he said.