Chidambaram calls Union Budget 2019 ‘bereft of any reforms’

New Delhi, July. 5 (HS): With the presentation of the Union Budget  2019 tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, the Congress launched a scathing criticism over  the budget presented by  Modi government 2.0 as  former Finance Minister and Congress leader P.Chidambaram held a press conference calling the Budget as ‘bereft of any reforms’.

Taking a sarcastic jibe at the Modi government’s presentation of Budget in the 17th Lok Sabha session, Chidambaram   said the Chief Economic Advisor must be the most disappointed person with  this budget.

The Congress leader also criticized the woman Finance minister keeping the budget documents in a four fold red cloth instead of the tradition followed presenting the budget in a suitcase.

Taking a  jibe at the Modi government, Chidambaram  said  the future Finance Minister of the country from the Congress party would present the Budget on an iPad.

 “The only investment related proposal was to increase the Foreign Investment Portfolio( FIP) percent. The Modi government of treating India as one big state government”, said Chidambaram.

 “Apparently the prime Minister believes that only his government could deliver the basic public goods and services. It is not a good decision to treat the state government to local administrations”, Chidambaram added.

The Congress leader said that Sitharaman claimed that the Modi government had reduced the non-performing assets (NPAs) by Rs 1 lakh crores, in the same period of  last five years, banks have written off Rs 5,55, 603 crores which she failed to mention in her budget speech.

The former Finance minister during the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government  also questioned Sitharaman on not revealing how much revenue the Modi government is expected to earn by raising taxes.