Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the Modi government of not making adequate allocations in the Union Budget towards strengthening education and health infrastructure in states.
Chaturvedi, a leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, also said the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had given Maharashtra the cold shoulder while favouring states such as Karnataka and Gujarat.
We were expecting some announcements for Maharashtra, which is not just a state but the spinal cord of the national economy. Mumbai is the growth engine of the economy. There are no allocations for Mumbai, Chaturvedi said. She said the Centre even discriminates while making GST reimbursements to the states.
The Budget extends concessions to lab-grown diamonds. Surat is the most flourishing industry. They will benefit. There are allocations every year for GIFT City. It had failed to live up to the hype. Karnataka is going to the polls, you have announced a Rs 5,300-crore project, Chaturvedi said.
She said if the Centre does not spend on health and education infrastructure, then it is putting that burden on the states.You don't send GST reimbursements on time. You also ask states to give primacy to this. But there is no support from the Centre. This strains the federal structure, Chaturvedi said.
Chaturvedi said the Budget has also not addressed the issue of declining participation of women in the labour market, as has been highlighted by various studies.
Had the government reached out to the womenfolk, it would have heard a single demand reduce the price of gas cylinders. It is a big burden. You didn't address this issue. I feel it is a disappointment as far as women are concerned, she said.