In RS, Opp says nothing in Budget for farmers, BJP calls it roadmap for future

“Farmers and fishermen folk…fishermen also contribute substantially to the exports and the economy. What have we done for our farmers and fishermen folk to compete with international standards? Nothing is there in the Budget for them…They are being left to fend for themselves,” he said.

“Last year, I thought perhaps this year, we will be blessed with some projects because this is the election year for Kerala. But this year also, there is no project for Kerala. One project which has been announced is the rare earth project. We need clarity on the rare earth project,” he said.

The absence of special schemes for Tamil Nadu was also raised. DMK’s R Girirajan said: “The Union government has been giving step-motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu. There has been no special scheme or financial allocation so far.”

H D Deve Gowda of the JD(S), which is an NDA ally, said, “Growth alone is not enough; employment must be the centre for policy thinking…We must ask ourselves honestly are we measuring success only by investment announcements or by dignified jobs created for our youth, especially in smaller towns and rural India…India’s future will be shaped in its cities and districts, not only in national corridors. Urban governance, water security, climate resilience, and regional balance deserve stronger attention.”

TMC member Saket Gokhale said: “The problem with the BJP is that they have one leg in 1947 and the other leg in 2047; nothing in the present. They will either talk about 50 years ago or make promises about 2047.”

“The Budget is personality oriented, not policy oriented. This Budget has absolutely nothing as far as the young people of our country are concerned,” Gokhale said.

Rajeev Shukla of the Congress raised the matter of the trade deal with the US. “It is not correct for us to call this the best deal. Economists… have also written that this deal is tilted towards America,” he said. He flagged unemployment and an insufficient allocation for health in the Budget. “Crores of people are unemployed…what are we doing for them? There are no jobs,” he said.

Among the BJP members, Sujeet Kumar said the increase in the defence budget marks the government’s commitment to strategic interests. He also hailed announcements like that on setting up university townships and girls’ hostels. His party colleague Kavita Patidar said: “India is standing strong in the midst of global chaos…the roadmap for the future is in the Budget…the country’s progress is visible in the recent trade deals which have increased the country’s respect and strength.”