Opposition political parties in Uttar Pradesh have described the Union Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Wednesday as anti-farmer and anti-people claiming that it will give rise to inflation and poverty in the country.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet, castigated the BJP for “a lackluster budget”. After almost completing a decade in governance at the Centre, he said that the party has not given anything in the past, and asked what it will give now.

“BJP’s budget will further increase inflation and unemployment. Farmers, laborers, youth, women, job professionals, business class, instead of hope,will get  disappointment  because the budget is made to benefit only a few big people,” he tweeted.

SP MP from Mainpuri and wife of Akhilesh Dimple Yadav said the budget of 2023 has been presented keeping in mind the general elections to be held next year. The middle class has definitely got some relief in this budget, although the government has not said anything in this budget for MSP, employment and youth for farmers.

“Railways was also ignored in this budget. It has been a disappointing budget,” she concluded.

Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP) president Mayawati in a statement said in the last nine years the budgets of the Central government made announcements, promises, claims and hopes, but all became redundant when India’s middle class faced the problems of inflation, poverty and unemployment etc. Lower middle class was the most harassed.

“This year’s budget is also not much different. No government points out the shortcomings of last year but makes new promises again, while in ground reality the lives of more than 100 crore people are at stake as it was before. People live by hope, but only false hope?” Mayawati said.

The BSP president said, “The government’s narrow policies and wrong thinking have the most side effects on the lives of crores of poor farmers .The government should pay attention to their self-respect and self-reliance so that the pockets of the common man are filled and the country develops”.

She further said, “Whenever the Center talks about the figures of beneficiaries of their schemes, they must remember that India is a vast country of about 130 crore poor, laborers, deprived, farmers etc. who are yearning for their Amrit Kaal. There are too many demands and would have been better if the budget was for the country than for the party”.

Reacting to the general budget, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Brijlal Khabri said that this budget is completely anti-middle class, workers, farmers, youth, women and students.

“Once again, through the budget, there is only an attempt to cover up the old jumlas of the BJP. The budget is a complete atrocity and deception on the interests of the general public,” he stated in a statement here.

Khabri said that this is an election budget and there is nothing for the farmers. “The budget didn’t talk about the MSP for the farmers and railways have been completely ignored. More than half of the population lives in rural areas but nothing has been done for them. This is a very disappointing budget. Change in tax slab is good, but the government should tell what has been given to the poor, farmers and unemployed,” he questioned.