Budget like ‘rearranging airbags in a crashing car’: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday initiated the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha after several days of repeated disruptions as the House reconvened following its second adjournment of the day, triggered by persistent sloganeering from Opposition members.

Participating in the debate on behalf of the Congress, Tharoor delivered a sharp critique of the Budget, describing it as a missed chance to address pressing economic concerns. He remarked that the Union Budget was a “squandered opportunity like rearranging the airbags in a crashing car while assuring passengers that the chassis is intact”. “Revenue estimates are projected at 3.1 percent from corporates (taxpayers) while individuals will pay 3.7 percent. So your revenue is coming disproportionately from the individual taxpayers,” he said, adding: “It is an underwhelming Budget.”

Turning his focus to the agriculture sector, Tharoor highlighted what he described as inadequate financial allocation despite the sector’s central role in the Indian economy. “It’s high time we stopped treating agriculture as some issue that will sort itself out, because 46.1 percent of India’s workforce and 60 percent of our population depend on agriculture and allied activities. Despite agriculture contributing 16-17 percent of GDP, it receives only 3 percent of this Union Budget, Rs 1.62 lakh crore, which is a 5.1 percent cut from last year’s Rs 1.71 lakh crore,” he said. He warned that reduced funding is particularly concerning at a time when agriculture is facing mounting challenges. Highlighting the issue of direct support to farmers, Tharoor said: “At a time when farm distress is deepening, the Budget’s silence on revising the PM-Kisan Nidhi disbursement speaks louder than any promise made elsewhere.” Tharoor then shifted his focus to unemployment, stating that the issue continues to worsen despite repeated discussions in Parliament. “Next to unemployment. This House has had this conversation far too many times,” he said. “We recite the same statistics, express the same concerns, and then move on, while unemployment quietly worsens.’’ (IANS)

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