Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that while the INDIA bloc leaders were advocating for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers, the Union Budget presented on Tuesday revealed that the BJP has prioritized “support price” for their allies.
“We all, especially the Samajwadi Party, were demanding that farmers should get MSP to double their income. But it seems that the support price is given to alliance partners who are saving the BJP government, rather than the farmers,” Yadav remarked, speaking to ANI on Wednesday during the INDIA bloc’s protest against the Budget at the Parliament complex.
Criticizing the government’s proposal to offer internships to the youth, Yadav questioned the long-term prospects for interns once their internships end. “You are creating jobs in such a disorganized manner that the future of the youth will not be secured. What will happen after the internship? Who will give them jobs?” he asked.
Yadav also argued that the government has failed to effectively tackle inflation. “The government has not taken any concrete steps regarding inflation. Even if some benefits are given to the middle class, they are essentially taken back due to inflation,” he said.
The Samajwadi Party chief further claimed that Uttar Pradesh did not receive significant allocations from the Budget because of strained relations between Lucknow and Delhi. “Uttar Pradesh did not get anything substantial. The state should have benefited from the double-engine government of Delhi and Lucknow. It seems the people of Lucknow have angered those in Delhi, and this is reflected in the Budget. So what is the benefit of the double engine?” he questioned.
Addressing flood control, Yadav suggested that it would be impractical to control floods in Bihar without addressing the issue in the upper plains of neighboring Nepal and Uttar Pradesh. “If you want to control floods in Bihar, how can you do so without stopping floods in Uttar Pradesh and Nepal?” he asked.
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan dismissed the Union Budget as mere “drama,” claiming that the promises on paper would not be implemented. “This budget doesn’t deserve a reaction. It is just drama. Promises kept on paper will not be implemented,” she told ANI.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav echoed the sentiment, stating that Uttar Pradesh was not even mentioned in the Budget document. “Forget about giving anything to Uttar Pradesh, it was not even named in the Budget. To save the government, they are giving funds to some and ignoring others,” he said, speaking to ANI.
The opposition INDIA bloc MPs held a protest in the Parliament complex on Wednesday against the Union Budget. Chanting slogans like “Opposition virodhi kursi bachao Budget murda baad,” the INDIA bloc leaders protested, holding placards and claiming that the Budget is “discriminatory” in nature. Notable participants included Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and TMC MP Dola Sen.