New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday slammed the Union Budget as a bundle of empty promises that fails to address pressing issues like unemployment, inflation and farmer distress, while the members of the ruling BJP-led alliance lauded it as a significant step in the development path towards achieving the goal of 'Viksit Bharat'.

Participating in the debate on the Budget, BJP leaders highlighted India's economic growth despite the adverse impact of the COVID pandemic, efforts being made for the development of various sectors of the economy including infrastructure, and reforms like the income tax exemption up to Rs 12 lakh, which they claimed would boost consumption and growth.

On the other hand, opposition MPs accused the government of failing to deliver on its much-touted 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan by sidelining welfare schemes for minorities, neglecting the agricultural sector, and overlooking the concerns of farmers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

They also criticised the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and the stagnant budget for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) scheme despite high demand.

BJP leader RPN Singh said, "In the last ten years, the Modi government has made our economy bigger than Britain which ruled us." He slammed the opposition saying they can't appreciate even the good decisions of the government.

"The exemption up to Rs 12 lakh on income tax, was it a bad decision? They will not speak about it even as the whole of India is lauding it," he said.

"The economy is progressing fast, it seems the opposition has forgotten COVID has impacted the whole world's economy, and India is now the fastest-growing economy," he said.

Singh said with the income tax slab change, Rs 1 lakh crore will be injected into the economy which will increase consumption.

However, TMC's Saket Gokhale said the government is going to earn more from taxes in this budget "by compensating for the reduction in income taxes through GST and other indirect taxes through which people are going to be extorted".

"Only 2.2 per cent of India's population pays income tax benefits ... 100 per cent of the population pays GST. When you take money through GST, everybody is going to get impacted by that," he said.

He alleged that the Modi government was depriving West Bengal of its rightful dues by withholding payment of over 1.75 lakh crore " because our people don't vote for them".

"Instead of the Licence Raj, today we have the GST Raj. Companies across India live in the dread of the GST inspector, who will find the smallest violation and then extort huge fines," he alleged.

Gohkale said the Indian economy is "crumbling" from the inside and its wall is going to crumble until something serious is done.

Independent Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal asked the government to spell out its vision for artificial intelligence considering the impact that it can have on jobs in India, while criticising the lack of an overall vision for the future in Union Budget 2025-26.

"When a new government comes to power naturally people of India expect that government to give us a vision of what it intends to do in the next five years. This government has already had ten years and the delivery mechanism has been both slow and inconsistent," the former Union minister said.

Chandrakant Handore, a Congress MP, demanded steps for the social, economic and educational uplift of backward and poor people to achieve the aim of Viksit Bharat.

“The government should focus on the development of backward and poor people along with the development of the nation,” Handore said.

BJP MP Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad said that the Budget is aimed at implementing the vision of a developed India by 2047.

"PM Modi, in his 11-year tenure, has given a new vision, which is Viksit Bharat Sankalp 2047, to 140 crore Indians," he said.

He said that if one has to study the budget, one should look at budget estimates and budget receipts.

He said that in 2013-14, the budget estimate was 16.65 lakh crore and after 10 years in 2024-25 it became 47.16 lakh crore.

Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan criticised the slashing of expenditure on schemes meant for the minority groups.

"The Budget or any policy document depicts the government's philosophy. In this Budget of 2025-26, minorities have been totally overlooked. The welfare schemes for minorities, the programmes have been either shut, or allocations have been cut," he said.

"The philosophy of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is definitely not behind it," he said.

Niranjan Bishi of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said that the Budget should have announced cuts in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG, which would have helped bring down inflation.

CPI MP PP Suneer accused the Union government of not giving Kerala its due share.

CPI-M member A A Rahim criticised the Centre's economic policies, saying it has failed to address the real concerns of citizens.

Congress MP Ashok Singh stressed the need for a loan waiver for farmers, adding that a law should to made so that the Minimum Support Price for crops is decided based on the input cost.

BJP MP Arun Singh said that the Modi government has taken several steps for the farmers.

"Our government is dedicated to farmers, that is why in every election farmers vote for us and make us win while the opposition parties lose," he said.

Rajani Patil of Congress termed the Budget as a clear-cut example of the government's misplaced priorities.

"This Budget has neglected the most pressing issues facing our nation such as unemployment, farmer distress and rising cost of living. The lack of attention on these critical areas is a stark reminder of the government's disconnect from the common man, " she said.

She said budgetary allocations for the agri and fertiliser sectors have come down and even the MNREGA scheme remains stagnant despite demand for increases in wages.

NCP-SCP MP Fauzia Khan attacked the government on "rising" unemployment and the cost of living for middle-class households.

She also pointed to the decline in the value of the Indian rupee against the dollar.

Countering the opposition charge, Ajit Madhavrao Gopchade of the BJP noted that the government is working towards making the country a world power.

He said that post-COVID while many economies faltered, India continued on the path of growth.

BJP's Deepak Prakash stated that the Budget has brought happiness to the faces of 140 crore Indians.

He attacked the previous Congress governments for scams and policy paralysis.

NCP MP Praful Patel said that earlier giving 'roti, kapda and makan' was the essence of political and economic discourse, but people are today talking about a confident, self-reliant and developed India.

Referring to the US president’s ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan, Patel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been saying since 2014 that India is on a new trajectory with programmes like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

“What does it mean? Like America, we are also talking that ‘make India big and proud again’,” Patel said.

He stated that earlier India used to import a lot of goods and products but today "we are exporting a lot of crucial and important products". PTI AO RSN MSS JP SKC RT