Opp attacks govt on taxes, unemployment and farm incomes in Rajya Sabha

Randeep Surjwala, who was the first to speak during the Budget discussion on Thursday, charged the government with failure to fulfil their promise of doubling the income of farmers. “When the Finance Minister began the Budget speech with three words; farmers poor and youth, the whole nation was filled with expectations but within a few minutes it was clear this budget is “kursi bachao, sahiyogi dal patao, aur haar la badla lete jao budget (save the government, placate the allies and extract revenge for poll loss),” he said.

AAP’s Raghav Chadha said that the Budget has managed to displease all sections of the society, including BJP supporters. Chadha added that the government needs to do a comprehensive review of taxation and restore indexation on long-term capital gains. Removal of indexation, he said, will disincentivize long-term investments, undervalue properties and lead to the high influx of black money.

Questioning the services provided while imposing high taxes, Chada said: “We are imposing taxes like Europeans do to get services like sub-Saharan Africa.”

Speaking on unemployment, skilling and the education system, independent MP Kapil Sibal said that the government needs to give more independence to states in decision-making in the field of education. Sibal quoted a report of the International Labour Organization and said that 83 per cent of India’s youth are unemployed. “This is the state of unemployment in our country. This does not happen suddenly. The economy is stagnant. It is related ultimately to several factors like education, skill development, industrial development and GDP growth. Unless you will deal with all these, you will not be able to deal with unemployment,” he said.

On the Opposition’s charge that the Budget was favourable to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, BJP MP Kulkarni said they cannot see the allocation made to states like Maharashtra. Kulkarni went on to list the projects underway in Maharashtra relating to the electrification of railways, development of railway stations and metro network and infrastructure building across different cities of the state.

Former Minister of State and BJP MP Karad said that while the Opposition has criticised the Budget on unemployment, the government has already drawn up plans to address the issue. “The Budget says clearly that in the next five years, 4.10 crore jobs will be created, that is our target. This will create 8 million jobs per year,” Karad said.

Dhankar, Sanjay Singh spar over jailed opposition leaders

In his speech in Rajya Sabha during the Budget discussion, AAP MP Sanjay Singh went on the offensive against the imprisonment of AAP leaders and Opposition leaders like Hemant Soren. Singh said that today the opposition leaders are in jail but tomorrow, those from the government might have to go to jail. “You have put the Delhi CM in jail, Delhi education minister, Delhi health minister in jail, Anil Deshmukh and Hemant Soren in jail. Your intent is not trying them but putting them in jail. But the more you put us in jail, you will fall deeper,” he said. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar asked Singh to halt his speech and said, “Honourable members, I need to put on record what is relevant. In this country governed by rule of law, the arrest may be by an agency or the police but sending someone to jail is not the job of an agency. A court lawfully acting sends someone to jail.”