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Tariq Anwar, Congress leader and MP from Bihar's Katihar, called the Union Budget as a budget of compulsion and said that the central government had to appease Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in order to sustain itself.
Speaking with ANI, Anwar said, "Ye baat kaafi hadd tak spasht ho gai hai ki ye budget majboori ka budget hai. (It became clear to a great extent that this budget is a budget of compulsion.) Compulsion in the sense that they want to save the government. And to save the government, they had to please Bihar and Andhra." The Congress leader further said that just for a show, some things have been announced. He said, "If they would have been sincere for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, then for the last 10 years, it's their rule and they would have given some package to these states in the last 10 years and we would have been convinced that they have some attachment with Bihar and Andhra Pradesh." Anwar further said, "But by giving this (package) now, in this budget, it is becoming clear that they want to save the NDA government." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Tuesday, presented the first Union Budget of the Modi 3.0 government and her seventh consecutive one during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The Finance Minister, in her seventh consecutive Union Budget for 2024-25, outlined nine key priorities aimed at fostering economic growth and creating ample opportunities. Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support. In her Budget speech in Parliament, Nirmala Sitharaman said, "On the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor we will support the development of an industrial nod at Gaya in Bihar. We will also support the construction of road connectivity projects namely Patna-Purnia Expressway, Buxar-Bagalpur Expressway, Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbanga, and an additional two-lane bridge over river Ganga at Buxar at a total cost of Rs 26,000 crore." "Power projects, including setting up of a new 2400 megawatt power plant at Pirpainti, will be taken up at a cost of Rs 21400 crore," she added. Andhra Pradesh also benefited from the Union Budget 2024-25 as the Finance Minister announced special financial support to the state, recognising the state's need for capital. "Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act- Our government has made efforts to fulfil the commitments in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Recognising the state's need for capital, we will facilitate special financial support through multilateral agencies," Sitharaman said. "In the current FY, Rs 15,000 crore will be arranged with additional amounts in future years," she added. The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and, according to schedule, will end on August 12. (ANI)
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