Congress Slams Union Budget: 'Copycat' & 'Kursi Bachao' - News18

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday termed the Union Budget a "copycat" and a "kursi bachao" budget, and said the "copy-paste government" borrowed ideas generously from the party's manifesto but botched up the policy.

The opposition party also said unemployment is the "biggest challenge facing the country" and the government's response is "too little" and will have little impact on the "grave situation".

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi dubbed the Union Budget a "kursi bachao budget" (save chair budget) and claimed it makes "hollow promises" to the BJP allies at the cost of other states.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "'Kursi Bachao' Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed the Budget a "copycat" and alleged that it is not for the progress of the country but to save the Modi government.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The Modi government's 'copycat budget' could not even copy the Congress' Nyay Patra properly! The Modi government's budget is distributing half-hearted 'rewadis (freebies)' to dupe its coalition partners so that the NDA survives."

"This is not a budget for the 'progress of the country'. It is a 'save Modi government' budget!" he said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh accused the government of indulging in "cut, copy, paste" from Congress's Nyay Patra.

"Cut, Copy, Paste from Congress's Nyay Patra is all very well. But Cut, Copy, and Paste in Haste is altogether another matter. The Union Budget borrows ideas generously from the Nyay Patra, but botches up the policy," he said.

"Pehli Naukri Pakki, a programme to guarantee year-long, well-paid apprenticeships to all college graduates and diploma holders, becomes a gimmicky and unworkable 1-crore internships plan. Employment-Linked Incentives, rather than incentivizing firms to create jobs or incentivize women to join the labour force, compensates those who are lucky enough to find jobs," he said.

"There was a time when the Nyay Patra was defamed by the non-biological PM as a Muslim League agenda and as a conspiracy to steal mangalsutras. Today, it's the source of inspiration for his Government's Budget. The implications of the personal, political, and moral defeat that he suffered on June 4th, 2024, continue to surface," Ramesh said.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has "virtually adopted" the ideas underlying his party's proposals on Employment-linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, apprenticeship scheme with an allowance to the apprentice, and on the abolition of Angel Tax.

"I wish she had adopted many more ideas from the Congress' manifesto (for the Lok Sabha polls)," the former Union finance minister said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters on the Union Budget.

Chidambaram also took a swipe at the government over the financial incentives announced in the Budget for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, claiming that if those announcements had not been made, TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar would have withdrawn support to the government.

"These are lifelines. Mr Modi is saving the life of his government.

"Unless you want his government to come to an end, you will appreciate him. He (Modi) is now bending down to Mr Naidu and Mr Kumar and saying that 'you have saved my life, so take whatever you want'. If they make more demands, he will concede those demands," Chidambaram said

Unemployment is the "biggest challenge facing country" and the response of the government is "too little and will have only little impact on the grave situation", he said.

Chidambaram also said nothing in the Budget speech "gives us the confidence that the government will seriously tackle the issue of inflation".

Earlier in the day, Ramesh said, "After ten years of denial -- where neither the non-biological PM nor his party's Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs -- the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention."

"It's far too late, and as it turns out, far too little -- the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action," he said in a post on X.

Ramesh further claimed that Sitharaman has taken a leaf out of its 2024 Lok Sabha polls manifesto by announcing an internship programme but "in their trademark style", the scheme has been designed to "grab headlines with arbitrary targets" rather than a programmatic guarantee.

"The Finance Minister has taken a leaf out of the INC's Nyay Patra 2024, with its internship program clearly modelled on the INC's proposed Apprenticeship Program that was called Pehli Naukri Pakki," Ramesh said.

"However, in their trademark style, the scheme has been designed to grab headlines, with arbitrary targets (1 crore internships) rather than a programmatic guarantee for all diploma holders and graduates, like the Indian National Congress had envisioned," he said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said the political message of the Budget was the tail wagging the dog. "It has political compulsions written all over it," he said.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said the "copy paste government" had to take the support of Congress' 2024 Nyay Patra. The Modi government should thank the Congress for the internship idea, he said.