Give me half an hour, will show how to prepare pro-poor budget: Mamata Banerjee as she takes on finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slamming the Centre said the budget is “opportunistic” and “not futuristic”.

“The Centre presented the Union Budget for 2023-24. We have heard that it is an ‘exceptional budget’. But what is so exceptional about it? We have 3.7 crore unemployed youth in India. There was not a single word about unemployment and jobs. The handful of jobs that we had have also been abolished. It is a dark budget,” Mamata said.

Addressing a programme at Bolpur in Birbhum, Mamata claimed amid inflation the changes in income-tax slabs will ‘not’ help.

“This budget is completely opportunistic and not futuristic. There is no ray of hope in this budget. Give me half an hour and I will show you how to prepare a proper budget for the poor,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

Claiming that it is a ‘criminal offence’ to withhold the MGNREGA funds, the chief minister added, “The Centre claims they have reduced the price of cooking gas. How much does an LPG cylinder cost now? You pay Rs1,170 for one cylinder. They have hiked the price by Rs70 but reduced a meagre Rs4. Now, they will ask for votes based on this. In the budget, food subsidies have been reduced. In the coming days, the poor will be suffering the most. The West Bengal government, on the other hand, provides ration free of cost.”

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said Rs45.03 trillion is the budgeted expenditure for 2023-24.

“Of the amount, Rs32.35 trillion will be consumed towards non-development expenditure. Bifurcated calculations of the number 32.35 are (all in trillion of rupees) 10.80 (interest payment), 7.44 (establishment expenditure of the central government), 4.33 (defence), 3.74 (subsidies), 3.70 (grants), 2.34 (pension),” Ray said.