Khandu's budget claim misleading: APCC

Itagar, Feb 3: The Congress in Aruchal Pradesh has ridiculed the appreciation of the Union Budget by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and termed it mere political 'goongaan'.

"It is not comprehensive and holistic as claimed. Khandu is misleading the public by incorrectly endorsing that Rs 1,290-crore has been sanctioned to promote Bamboo Mission in Aruchal Pradesh. In fact, the amount is for entire India. Such false endorsement proves Khandu's hypocrisy to please Modi and befool the people of the State," Aruchal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Minkir Lollen said in a statement here today.

"The Union Budget shrewdly adjusts Modi's corporate friends to endorse the BJP in the 2019 election. The pseudo-claim of the BJP making India the fifth and the fastest growing economy during the announcement of the budget is a total hoax, when the BJP could not ensure a minimum 3.5% GDP in five years. But during the UPA regime, India had more than 6% of GDP. India was actually shining and growing then. In the current budget there is no noteworthy improvement in the social sector. There is no exemption or reduction in tax," he alleged.

Lollen further said that in contradiction to Modi's assurance in the 2014 election campaign to provide employment to 2-crore unemployed youths annually, the current Fince Minister has announced to attain 70-lakh jobs for unemployed youths annually.

"Such variance in announcement of PM and FM clearly indicates that the graph of the BJP's tall claim to generate employment for unemployed youths is unsuccessful and a major failure of the NDA government," Lollen said.

"Further, the budget exposes how the BJP has astutely switched the deducted amount of Rs 2 from petroleum product to highway/road cess. If the Modi government is committed to the welfare of the people, why are different people-oriented organizations protesting the budget? The people of the country cannot be fooled by Modi's deceptive bartered system of loot anymore," he said.