Mumbai, Feb 1 Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday criticised the Finance Minister for failing to address the economic instability affecting the common citizen.
He argued that while Maharashtra remains the largest contributor to the national treasury, the state was once again ignored in terms of significant infrastructure or financial allocations.
He stated that the budget failed to instil any confidence in the public regarding job creation or inflation control.
“Maharashtra, the largest contributor to the Union government’s treasury, is not even an afterthought. Be it GDP, GST, and Income Tax, we’re the largest contributors and proportionally most ignored. About the Mumbai- Pune High Speed Railway, does it mean a bullet train? Vande Bharat? An increase in speed for the current ones? What’s the timeline? Fully funded by GoI or does it have the Maharashtra government contribution?” he asked.
Aaditya further said that if this were to be a budget for all of India, truly, one of the demands that he has constantly made could have still been accepted - an International Financial Services Centre for Mumbai and maybe also for Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi.
“Growth would be truly national, and natural, unlike the failed GIFT. But then, thinking beyond elections would be truly a gift for India,” he said.
Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut claimed the budget lacks a plan for the middle class and the poor.
He highlighted the lack of significant income tax relief for the salaried class, especially as taxpayers were anticipating changes to standard deductions or tax slabs.
“The negative reaction of the stock market during the speech as proof that the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision lacks immediate substance,” he remarked.
MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gained social media attention for "predicting" the Finance Minister's attire (a Kanjeevaram silk saree from Tamil Nadu) as a sign of the government's focus on election-going states.
She suggested that the budget was more about political optics for states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal than about the nation's economic health.
She described the budget as a major disappointment that failed to meet expectations during a period of global economic uncertainty.
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