Oppn dubs UP budget 'directionless', 'betrayal' of all sections of people

Describing the budget presented by the Uttar Pradesh government as "directionless" and a "betrayal" of all sections of people, opposition parties on Tuesday said it offered nothing concrete and failed to explain how the state will become a trillion dollar economy.

While the Congress alleged that the budget has nothing for farmers, youth and women, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) said it was the same as last year's. The Uttar Pradesh government presented a Rs 5,12,860.72 crore budget for FY 2020-21, which also includes Rs 500-crore allocation for constructing an airport in Ayodhya.

The budget, the size of which is Rs 33,159 crore more than last year's, has provisions for new schemes worth Rs 10,967.87 crore. "The government is betraying all sections (of people), be it youth, farmers or women. The BJP says that it wants to make the state a trillion dollar economy but it is not telling from where the investment will come," Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav told reporters, adding that in future, people will "betray" the government (in polls).

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"MoUs were inked and groundbreaking ceremonies held. The government should tell how much incentive it has given to the industry and which banks have signed the agreements," he said. Yadav said unlike the previous SP-led state government, the BJP government has proved to be a "failure".

"Do something which they (people) can remember when you are not in power. Previous UP government was known for expressway, metro, laptops, but now the perception has changed. With government-sponsored deaths, including custodial deaths and shooting protestors, the BJP government is a failure," he said. On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath describing the budget as "historic", Yadav said, "It is nothing but historic 'jumlebaazi' of the BJP." BSP chief Mayawati said the budget is a result of the BJP's lack of willpower to address issues of public welfare.

"The budget presented by the state government is a farce. With this budget, welfare of 22 crore people of the state cannot be done. The budget is same as the previous one," she said. "The promises and claims made in the budget appear hollow and are only on paper. Like the Centre, why does the UP BJP government make promises and claims that people find far from the ground realities and cannot trust," she said.

Terming the budget "directionless", Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu said it is only "jugglery of figures" and offers nothing concrete. "There is very little provision for women's security. The budget has nothing for youths, farmers, women and poor," he said. This is the fourth budget of the Adityanath government.

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