Budget 2019 Highlights: Populist push in Interim Budget before LS polls, Opposition says it has no value

Background

Budget 2019 Highlights: Reaching out to a large electorate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the government Friday announced a cash dole for small farmers, a mega pension scheme for the unorganised sector and doubled the threshold tax exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the interim Budget for the 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha. He doled out tax sops to middle class, including raising standard deduction to Rs 50,000, and provided concessions on interest income from bank deposits and rent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the interim budget touches all sections of the society and includes everyone, asserting that it is a merely a "trailer" of what will guide India towards prosperity after the Lok Sabha polls. In his remarks after the interim budget was presented in Parliament, Modi said it empowers people and referred to a host of budgetary announcements and schemes to drive home his point.

However, the Congress dubbed the budget as the BJP's "jumlebaz (filled with gimmicks) manifesto" for the polls, while the NCP termed it as a "lollipop". Attacking the government for not announcing farm loan waiver, the opposition parties alleged that since it had not offered anything to the people in its previous budgets, it has now made populist announcements to assuage prevailing dissent among the public.

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The Congress dubbed the budget as the BJP's "jumlebaz (filled with gimmicks) manifesto" for the polls, while the NCP termed it as a "lollipop".
Attacking the government for not announcing farm loan waiver, the opposition parties alleged that since it had not offered anything to the people in its previous budgets, it has now made populist announcements to assuage prevailing dissent among the public.