MARCH 7: People’s Conference chief and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone condemned the Budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Lone said, “The Budget speech was on expected lines a disappointment. Same old style of parroting Centrally Sponsored Schemes with Hindi nomenclature.”
He added, “Vast gulf between electoral political innuendos and economic arithmetics of Budget. Glorified and endorsed the BJP Naya Kashmir discourse and statistics, that have been berated by NC in the last decade. All of a sudden every Government statistic of the past 5 years is the gospel truth and the incumbent government seems eager to jump into the frame and take credit for those statistics which until the other day they told all of us —-were either fudged or fiction.”
While reacting to budget PC chief said, “I was expecting a politically viable & economically vibrant budget rather than an annual statement of outlay & expenditure. Even 200 units of electricity promised is for AAY only and linked to the Centrally Sponsored Roof Top scheme which has appx 65% central share with a cap of 3 KV. Too many strings attached. Linking social welfare payments to DA means we have to pray for a miraculous zero inflation for real increase. This budget is bereft of anything visible which will impact the lives of common man positively.”
Sajad lone further added, “Petrol and diesel prices set to increase by Rs 1 per Lt and Rs 2 per Lt respectively due to reduction in rebate on perrol and diesel. Nothing for employment Nothing for daily Wagers Nothing for contractual employees Nothing for minimum wages Shifting of police budget was mentioned as if it was an achievment. The soul of statehood which we believe was stolen from us, was relegated to yet another statistic. If the LG address was a political relegation of aspirations, this budget is a statistical relegation of aspirations. And hang on— here is some good news. The PM, The HM and the union Finance Minsiter were praised more than once. Saga of love letter continues. This love letter to BJP part II”
