'Never expected this from Sitharaman': DK Shivakumar says INDIA govts including Karnataka got nothing in Budget 2024   

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said the opposition-ruled states had got nothing in the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "No INDIA alliance governments got anything. No opposition parties got anything including Karnataka. It is unfortunate and I never expected this from FM Nirmala Sitharaman," he said while speaking to reporters. 

The Opposition claimed that Sitharaman's budget was meant to save the NDA government at the Centre. In her Budget 2024, the Finance Minister announced huge sops for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar - two states ruled by NDA allies TDP and JDU.    

Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal said there was nothing for states like Punjab. She claimed that the budget was tailor-made for two NDA allies in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and farmers, poor, and youth across the country were ignored. "There is nothing for Punjab in the sixth continuous budget since Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) exited the NDA alliance," she said. 

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi called it a "Kursi Bachao" Budget. He suggested that "hollow promises" were made to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar at the cost of other states. He also claimed that a lot of announcements were lifted from the Congress Manifesto. "Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets," he said in a tweet. 

TMC's Abhishek Banerjee said called the budget a "complete failure with ZERO WARRANTY". "Instead of tackling urgent issues like unemployment, rising prices, and growing inflation, the BJP has crafted a budget to bribe its coalition partners and buy time before the government IMPLODES!" he said in a tweet.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra said his party had objected to this budget and walked out of the Rajya Sabha. "We find that the demands of Odisha have not been met. We term this Budget anti-Odisha."

Delhi Finance Minister Atishi said despite paying Rs 2.32 lakh crore in taxes to the Centre, the national capital has not even got a single penny as its share in central taxes in the Union Budget. Atishi said Delhi had demanded a budgetary allocation for the MCD but it did not get even a single rupee from the Centre. 

"Delhi is the growth engine of the country. It pays more than Rs 2 lakh crore in income tax to the Centre and Rs 25,000 crore as central GST. Despite paying Rs 2.32 lakh crore in taxes to the Centre, Delhi was asking for just Rs 20,000 crore, which is just 0.4 per cent of the Union Budget. But no money was given as its share in central taxes or to the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi)," the AAP leader said.