The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) described the Union Budget as “disappointing” and claimed that it would increase inflation and hurt the common man.
“The budget proposals will pinch the pocket of the common man,” party spokesman Nawab Malik said.
“The (Narendra) Modi government is running away from the basic responsibility of providing health services and is handing over the sector to the insurance companies,” he added.
Ridiculing the budget proposal to increase farmers’ income, Malik said, “Even the minimum support price announced earlier was not paid to the farmers. This is nothing but a ’jumla’ (gimmick) budget.”
The NCP leader also criticised the BJP-led government for initiating strategic disinvestment in 24 public sector undertakings (PSUs), including Air India, by setting ₹80,000 crore as the disinvestment target for 2018-19.
“This budget has been tabled to sell off government resources to private companies,” he alleged.