leader of Opposition in Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi slammed the Union Budget as having failed to come up to the expectations of the distressed farmers who are forced to commit suicide and the middle class looking for relief.
Reacting to the Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the lok Sabha, Channi said the Narendra Modi Government should have announced one-time waiver of farmers loans, both institutional and non-institutional, while coming up with a long term policy to take care of the deepening agrarian crisis. However, the farmers had been ditched.
Channi said the hopes of the middle class too had been belied as it was expected that the exemption limit might go up as the real income has been going down due to inflation. He urged Jaitley to take into account both these factors and announce the necessary steps at appropriate time when the budget is to be passed.
He also questioned the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for having miserably failed to forcefully take up the farmers cause.