Union Budget 2020: Arvind Kejriwal says 'step-motherly treatment' meted out to Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that the citizens of Delhi had high expectations from the Union Budget but instead they received stepmotherly treatment. AAP chief claimed that 'Delhi is not in BJP's priority list', further politicised the Budget 2020 with the upcoming elections. Arvind Kejriwal's statement comes just days ahead of the Delhi Assembly Polls, which will see a three-way battle between AAP, BJP and the Congress. 

"The people of Delhi had huge expectations from the Budget but instead received stepmotherly treatment. Delhi is not in BJP's priority list, then why should the citizens of Delhi vote for BJP? When BJP is disappointing Delhi just before the election, will it keep its promises after the elections," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her second Union Budget earlier today. The union budget 2020-21 was presented today in Parliament eyeing to energies the economy of India through a combination of short-term, medium-term, and long term measures.

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Union Budget 2020

In Nirmala Sitharaman's maiden budget presented on June 5, the newly re-elected Modi government set the ambitious course to achieve a $5 trillion economy by 2024, considering the past 5 years' accelerated growth. Sitharaman, who is the first woman to present the Union Budget since former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, announced no changes in personal income tax rates but levied an additional surcharge on the super-rich. Moreover, the budget also announced a reduction in corporate tax and subsidies to the housing sector, startups and electric vehicles apart from boosting cashless economy.

Since then the Indian economy's growth has slumped to 4.5%, staring at a 45-year high on unemployment. While the key challenge the Finance Minister faces is kickstarting market demand, she also battles India's job crisis, diminishing FDI, growing inflation. In an attempt at course correction, the Modi government had announced the merger of 9 PSU banks into 4, major corporate tax cuts, policy changes in the automobile sector, reduction in tax regulations to boost foreign income, attract investors and increase the consumer demand during the past year.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday cut short her Budget speech as she felt unwell after speaking for a record 160 minutes in Lok Sabha. Sitharaman had only two pages of her Budget speech unread when she appeared uneasy and was seen wiping sweat from her forehead. 

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(With PTI inputs)