By IANS
Bhopal : Lauding the union budget for 2008-09, Madhya Pradesh’s main opposition Congress Friday said it would check inflation but the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised it saying it would only add to the common man’s woes.
Jamuna Devi, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, said it was a balanced budget in which interests of rural areas and the common man were taken care of. She welcomed the provision of more funds for education, health and rural development.
“The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government’s step to waive off farmers’ loans is revolutionary. Also, by giving an income-tax concession, the finance minister has provided relief to salaried employees. By and large, care has been taken of all sections of society and relief has been provided to all,” state Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal said.
Hamid Qazi, Nationalist Congress Party legislator, said the budget was balanced and good for the poor and the common man.
But, the ruling BJP termed the budget as anti-people and said it would retard the country’s growth.
While the BJP’s state president Narendra Singh Tomar said the budget was an indicator of the UPA regime’s decline, the party’s state secretary Rameshwar Sharma said the central government had not taken any steps to control spiralling prices.
State BJP vice-president Anil Dave said: “It was like a donation from a bankrupt person. What is the logic behind giving so many concessions when the development and production in the country was on the decline?”