Left Front Strongly Opposes Union Budget, says it was unplanned

By TC News Desk

Agartala, 11^th February 2025:   The Left Front has strongly opposed the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , calling it unplanned and irresponsible. At a press conference held at the CPIM state office on Tuesday, five parties of the Left Front raised serious allegations against the budget and criticized the central government.

Addressing the media, Left Front State Committee Convener Narayan Kar accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of running the country in an autocratic manner. He highlighted that while the Parliament session is ongoing, the Prime Minister has gone on a foreign tour, raising questions about his priorities.

The Left Front expressed concerns over the new tax exemption of up to Rs 12 lakh announced in the budget. Kar questioned how the government plans to compensate for this tax relief and whether it will be covered from the national treasury. The Left parties warned that if this amount is deducted from key welfare schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), they would strongly oppose such measures.

Kar further alleged that the budget failed to allocate a single rupee for farmers, adding that Rs 3,000 crore has been reduced from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Additionally, he pointed out that funds allocated for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana have also been cut. Accusing the government of misleading farmers in Agartala with false promises, he emphasized that the Left Front’s alternative proposal would include necessary provisions for the agricultural sector.

The Left parties also criticized the reduction in rural development funds in the new budget, stating that such measures would harm employment opportunities, infrastructure growth, and industrial development. Given these concerns, the Left Front announced that they would present an alternative economic proposal both inside and outside Parliament to address the economic distress in the country.