The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on the Union Budget 2024, with leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge calling it a “Kursi Bachao” (Save Chair) and “copycat” budget. Rahul Gandhi took to social media platform X to criticize the budget, saying it was designed to appease allies and cronies at the cost of other states and the common Indian. He also accused the government of copying from the Congress manifesto and previous budgets.

“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,” Gandhi wrote in his tweet.

The opposition party has also claimed that the government has “tacitly” acknowledged “mass unemployment as a national crisis,” and stated that the budget is heavily influenced by “political compulsions.”

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the 2024-25 Budget, marking her seventh consecutive presentation, thereby exceeding the record set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. This budget is the first of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term in office.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed similar sentiments, saying the budget was a “save Modi government” budget rather than a budget for the progress of the country. He accused the government of making hollow promises to its coalition partners and distributing “half-hearted rewadis” (a type of Indian sweet) to dupe them.

In the Union Budget of 2024-25, Sitharaman announced that the government will launch a scheme to provide internship opportunities to 1 crore youth in 500 top companies over five years.

Kharge also listed out several areas where the budget fell short, including job creation, farmers’ welfare, Dalit and Adivasi rights, women’s empowerment, and social welfare schemes. He accused the government of having no intention of increasing rural wages, providing relief to the poor, or enhancing women’s economic capacity.