Samajwadi Party, CPI-ML slam union budget

Lucknow, Feb 28 (IANS) The Samajwadi Party and the CPI-ML Saturday slammed the union budget, saying it had disappointed the common man.

Samajwadi Party spokesman and cabinet minister Rajendra Chowdhary said people were looking forward to the budget with hope, especially that some relief would be given in various tax regimes and to control inflation.

"The budget dashed the hopes of the common people. With increase in service tax, making homes, purchase of tractors, fooding, schooling and many other things will become more expensive," he told IANS.

The ruling party in Uttar Pradesh accused the BJP-led central government of ignoring the interests of farmers and villagers.

Referring to special incentives and help extended to West Bengal, Bihar and announcement of opening of educational institutes like IIT and IIM in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir, the party said Uttar Pradesh was ignored big time.

The party spokesman also rued the fact that no major announcements were made for Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state unit of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) also slammed the budget, saying it was "heavily tilted towards corporates and against the common people".

State CPI-ML secretary Ramji Rai said increase in indirect taxes like service tax would hurt the common people badly.

"By slashing funds for the social sector like in NRHM and mid-day meal, the budget has also done a great disservice to the people," said Rai.

The state unit of the BJP, however, welcomed the budget, terming it a "progressive and inclusive" one.

"The finance minister has presented a very forward-looking budget and the people of the country would reap the dividends of a long term, rationale-based budget that Arun Jaitley has presented," state BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.