Union Budget filled with fakery: Cong

All India Congress Committee (AICC) media coordinator Sujata Paul has termed the Union Budget 2023-24 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Wednesday as “useless, filled with fakery and falsities” that would spell disaster for the country.
Addressing media at Hotel Acacia here on Wednesday, she mocked the 6.1% growth rate claimed by the Centre and questioned how this would ensure employment to 14 crore unemployed people.
She claimed that the per capita income in the country was 13.1% between 2004 and 2014, which she alleged had plummeted to 9.1% since 2014 up to 2023.
Paul alleged that there was nothing for road infrastructure in the budget, pointing out that even though the budget talked infrastructure building, there was nothing specific.
She said there was no announcement for sports facility in the budget and urged the youth to question the Centre on this.
She further pointed out that the Central government depended entirely on MGNREGA to provide income to people, even though allocation for MGNREGA had been brought down to Rs 60,000 crore from Rs 89,400 crore. She remarked that this reflected the government’s intention of not caring for the people.
She also lamented that the budged had no package for Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, all of which were going to Assembly polls.
“Even having a double-engine government if we have not been able to get any special package for Nagaland, it shows that the Central government simply does not care. Ironically, the BJP-NDPP government led by Neiphiu Rio promotes such an attitude of the Centre,” she remarked.
Speaking on DoNER funds, Paul pointed out that it was a misconception that the Union budget had nothing to do with DoNER. “DoNER is a separate ministry with a separate minister and it is incumbent upon the Centre to allocate funds for the Northeast and distribute that equitably,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile, NPCC secretary and spokesperson Yanger, who too was present on the occasion, alleged that Nagas had been taken for a ride for long by the State government.
He accused the present State government of not being able to bring any change in the State despite its 2018 election campaign “Election for solution”, nor solve even smaller issues.
He also questioned the government over poor roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, lack of water supply, etc, in rural areas. “As on leaves the urban areas, he or she will notice that infrastructure has crumbled,” he claimed.
Noting that the State government had only been talking, Yanger urged all Nagas not to wait as they had enough time.
He also claimed that all development work had taken place during Congress reign in the State.
Meanwhile, asked on the number of seats Congress would contesting in the upcoming Assembly election, Paul replied that this would be disclosed soon.
She revealed that the party would have a good number of new faces and that there were high chances of women too making it to the list of candidates.
Referring to PHED minister Jacob Zhimomi’s claim of 60% implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Nagaland, she claimed that she had personally visited villages in the minister’s constituency and found that most of these had only one tap each.
She also lamented at the pathetic condition of schools. “The schools in his constituencies have no walls or windows. Forget the computers that the government claims,” she mentioned.
The AICC media coordinator also questioned Jacob why doors of schools in his constituency were painted blue from outside when there were no students but only broken benches.
She alleged that Jacob was talking in the manner the Modi government and BJP talked.
She further stated Congress’ manifesto was being prepared and assured that all key issues would be included. She claimed that the party would “literally vow” to work for betterment of Nagas.