Chief Ministers give mixed reactions to Union Budget

New Delhi: There were mixed reactions to the Union Budget 2021-22 from Chief Ministers of different states with the CMs of BJP-ruled states praising it and CMs of non-BJP ruled states slamming it.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed the Union Budget 2021-22 as the budget of ‘Self-Reliant ‘India.

“All sections of the society have been taken care of in this Budget. I believe this is the Budget to turn the disaster into an opportunity during COVID pandemic,” he told ANI.

Chief Ministers

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also lauded the budget for strengthening the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. “Farmers have been provoked against agricultural laws. These agricultural laws are in the interest of farmers,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath thanked Prime Minister and Finance Minister for presenting ‘development-oriented budget’ amid COVID19 pandemic. He said that the budget has provisions for various strata of society, be it farmers, youth, women or the poor.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told ANI, “The pandemic increased the amount of work, every sector faced problems. Despite this, we congratulate the government for presenting a balanced budget.”

“The Atma Nirbhar Bharat’s budget is balanced and inclusive with focus on reforms, agriculture modernization, emphasis on infrastructure, thrust on manufacturing and higher spending on health. I congratulate PM Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the bold and visionary Budget 2021,” Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said in a tweet.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that there is no change in MNREGA for the poor. He said that ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ was said so many times that it has now become ‘Atma Becho Bharat’.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has called Union Budget as disappointing. He questioned that the government promised to give free vaccines during Bihar elections, but there is no such provision in the budget.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “The Budget proposals to privatise more public sector companies and increase foreign investment in the insurance sector indicates that the government will withdraw from all sectors, leaving the country entirely in the commercial interest.”

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “In this budget, an amount of Rs 1,18,000 crore has been allocated for the Ministry of Transport. The more the transportation and infrastructure in the country, the better will be the economic condition of the country. New investors will come and industries will be set opening up new employment opportunities.”

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the Union Budget. He said, “Atma Nirbhar Bharat’s budget is designed keeping in mind the health, welfare, physical and financial capital and infrastructure for inclusive growth of aspiring India.”

Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, slammed the government by calling the budget anti-people. “They always make false statements. India’s first paperless budget sold almost every sector. There is nothing for the unorganized sector in the budget,” she said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal appreciated the Union Budget for allocating Rs 1,075 crore for Majuli protection (embankment cum road around the island) and Rs 300 crore for comprehensive development of Kamakhya Temple. He said that these significant projects that will further help preserve two of Assam’s most sacred heritages.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the union budget 2021-22 saying it will benefit a few big companies and increase inflation and problems for the common man.

“This budget will benefit a few big companies. This budget will lead to price rise and will increase difficulties of the common people,” he said in a tweet.

Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said, “The budget will bring positive changes in the lives of our people. The budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is designed keeping in mind the development of all sectors including infrastructure, healthcare and education.”

“This is the first budget in the post-COVID-19 scenario and there are lots of new challenges which this budget is expected to address. The positive points in Budget 2021 include focus on capital investment to push growth, the reintroduction of the developmental financial institution,” tweeted Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jairam Thakur, said that government has done a commendable job in making the Union Budget. “It is inclusive and ambitious budget,” he said.

“Budget 2021 will lead to a revival of the country’s economy in this challenging year. The stalled economy due to Covid-19 crisis will bounce back,” tweeted Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb lauded the budget in his tweet, “India has seen a new dawn of economic development under the leadership of Prime Minister and Finance Minister. A number of steps have been taken, decisions made, which will not only benefit in the present but will also benefit us in future.”

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, “The BJP used to strongly oppose FDI when UPA was in power. Now, the same party has been promoting FDI since coming in power”