Union Budget 2023: Opposition parties criticize budget

The Opposition criticized the economic policies of the Union government on Wednesday, saying that unemployment and poverty have risen in the country due to it.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, while initiating the debate on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha, said that the Union government had failed to control inflation.

He added that an "A" grade should be given to the Union Budget, not the one which is given in schools, but the one which stands for Adani, whom it is meant to benefit.

The budget, Gogoi said, had nothing for the common man while all announcements were for a particular corporate group.

The Congress MP said that the government has announced capital expenditure to the tune of Rs 10 lakh crore, of which nearly Rs five lakh crore was for infrastructure projects such as highways, railways, and airports.

These assets would be built with public money, which would later be monetized to 'crony capitalists', he claimed.

Gogoi said there was no additional allocation for public sector undertakings that pay dividends to the government, nor are there any allocations for the armed forces, he alleged.

The government has not made adequate allocation for the armed forces to deal with the challenge posed by China, he said.

Gogoi claimed that while other countries are decreasing their dependence on China, India's imports from that country were on the rise.

He added that greater investment was needed in the education and manufacturing sectors.

The Lok Sabha was later adjourned for the day due to a lack of quorum. (KB/IANS)