The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies on Tuesday welcomed the Union Budget and said it focussed on youth, farmers, women, and has 'substantial allocations' for Maharashtra, but the opposition slammed the annual financial statement, claiming it neglected the western state and only seeks to please the saffron outfit's partners in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced income tax relief for the middle class, a Rs 2 lakh crore outlay for job creation schemes over the next five years and a spending splurge for states run by BJP's coalition allies as she unveiled Modi 3.0 government's first budget after the general elections.
Sitharaman, presenting her seventh straight budget in the Lok Sabha, provided Rs 2.66 lakh crore for rural development and maintained spending on long-term infrastructure projects at Rs 11.11 lakh crore to boost economic growth.
In Maharashtra, where assembly polls are due in October, the BJP and its ruling coalition allies hailed the budget proposals, but the opposition parties alleged bias against the state despite it being the largest taxpayer.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde lauded the Union Budget, saying it centred around common citizens.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Shinde said the Budget focussed on the youth, workers, farmers and women, and a push has also been given to the infrastructure sector.
"The Budget centres around the common citizen. It is a start to achieve the goal of making India a USD 5 trillion economy," he said.
He noted that taxpayers have been given relief by the finance minister.
Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, said the Budget has allocated Rs 3 lakh crore to schemes related to women, Rs 1.52 lakh crore to farmers and Rs 3 lakh crore for infrastructure development.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accused the opposition of trying to build a "negative narrative" even though "substantial allocations" were made in the Union Budget for Maharashtra.
Fadnavis claimed the opposition parties had prepared their reaction against the Budget in advance to build a negative narrative against the central government.
"The Budget includes substantial allocations for Maharashtra. It is advisable for the opposition to thoroughly examine the Budget before reacting," said the senior BJP leader.
Fadnavis' response came soon after Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged anti-Maharashtra bias in the Budget.
The deputy CM took a dig at Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Vijay Wadettiwar who claimed the apprenticeship programme mentioned in the Budget was copied from the Congress manifesto.
"If this is the case, then both leaders should welcome the Budget instead of criticising it," Fadnavis added.
Fadnavis sought to counter claims that Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, led by BJP allies Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal-United and part of the National Democratic Alliance government, received more funds than Maharashtra.
"Maharashtra will receive Rs 908 crore under MUTP-3 (Mumbai Urban Transport Project) which will strengthen the local rail network in Mumbai. Mumbai Metro will get Rs 1,087 crore, the Mumbai-Delhi corridor Rs 499 crore, MMR green urban transport Rs 150 crore, and Nagpur Metro Rs 683 crore. The budget includes the provisions of Rs 814 crore for Pune Metro and Rs 690 crore for schemes related to the Mula Mutha river," Fadnavis maintained.
He argued though the BJP is not in power in Himachal Pradesh, the hill state will receive more funds through the Budget.
"Why should anyone be unhappy about other states receiving funds when there is already sufficient allocation for Maharashtra?" Fadnavis asked.
However, the opposition parties appeared unhappy with Modi 3.0 government's first budget.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said Maharashtra was not mentioned even once by Sitharaman in her Budget speech, and alleged bias against the state despite it being the largest taxpayer.
In a post on X, the former state minister accused the Centre of 'looting' Maharashtra by installing a 'corrupt regime' and then through taxes.
"I can understand the BJP wanting to save its government and giving Bihar and Andhra Pradesh a huge sum of the Budget. But what is Maharashtra's fault? That we are the largest taxpayer? What did we get against what we contributed?"
"Was Maharashtra mentioned even once in the Budget? Why does the BJP hate and insult Maharashtra so much? This isn't the first time, through the entire past decade of BJP's government, we have seen this bias against Maharashtra," Thackeray claimed.
The NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, a Shiv Sena-UBT ally, argued the Budget was not for India but for the BJP's NDA partners in power in Bihar (JD-U) and Andhra Pradesh (TDP).
In a post on X, NCP-SP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Maharashtra was neglected in the Budget, and people of the state will give the BJP a befitting reply in the upcoming assembly polls.
Expressing similar views, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena-UBT said this Budget was not for the entire country, but only for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Danve, in a post on X, noted that a few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Maharashtra an economic powerhouse.
"But they have given nothing to Maharashtra which is governed by them and is the highest tax paying state," said the opposition leader.
Sitharaman, however, dismissed the Opposition's criticism that the budget has accorded special treatment to states run by supporting parties, saying that those whose alliance got less than 230 seats have no right to question it as the Centre has provided funds to all states.
On the issue of Rs 60,000 crore projects announced for Bihar and pledge to get multilateral assistance for the state and Andhra Pradesh, she said, Rs 1.5 lakh crore assistance has been promised for all states in the budget.
"The Indi alliance (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) together could not cross 230 seats while BJP alone has reached 240 and with the pre-election alliance, we have formed government comfortably under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is historic," she said in a customary post budget media briefing.
