BJP, its allies hail budget as ‘historic’
The Lok Sabha MP from Maharajganj in Bihar, Janardan Singh Sigriwal, walked into the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) office in Parliament after the interim budget and greeted leaders with the slogan “Abki Baar, 400 paar” (This time, above 400), a reference to how many seats the party would win in this summer’s Lok Sabha elections. There was a mood of celebration in the BJP’s office after finance minister Piyush Goyal presented a budget heavy on sops, targeting around 370 million people ahead of the parliamentary election in which Narendra Modi is seeking re-election as Prime Minister.
The BJP stormed to power in 2014, winning 282 Lok Sabha seats, on the promise of change. It won several subsequent assembly elections, but has struggled to cope with the backlash from farm distress, unrest among young people, and a struggling informal sector in recent elections.
The Friday budget sought to address these concerns. The government promised an assured yearly income of ~6,000 to 120 million small and marginal farmers; a pension scheme for nearly 100 million unorganised (informal) sector workers; and tax sops that will benefit 30 million middle class taxpayers.
Both the public and the private responses of the party leaders were marked by jubilation. The unanimous opinion was that this was a budget the party could take to the electorate.
The cheer was led from the top by PM Modi, who said the budget is a “trailer” which, after the elections, would take India on the path of development. Union minister Arun Jaitley said: “The budget is unquestionably progrowth, fiscally prudent, profarmer, pro-poor and strengthens the purchasing power of the Indian middle class.”
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said farmers, senior citizens, women and the middle class are the core of this government’s focus.
BJP president Amit Shah said: “The budget has proved that the Modi government is dedicated to the aspirations of the country’s youths, farmers and poor.”
BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the budget proposals will go a long way in helping achieve the party’s aim of doubling farm income by 2022.
Most BJP MPs said the budget addresses the three main issues that party was worried about — farm distress, stress in the informal sector, and middle class angst — and may help reverse recent electoral trends that have favoured the Opposition.
“BJP MPs are hugely relieved,” a senior minister said on condition of anonymity. “They were facing the heat on certain issues. These three sops and the 10% reservation for economically weaker sections [announced earlier] give each MP some talking points before the election.”
The Election Commission is expected to announce dates of the parliamentary election in the first week of March, and BJP leaders hope that the budget has laid the foundation for them to go into the polls with a high level of enthusiasm.
Shah told reporters recently that the party has set a target of winning more than the 282 seats it won in 2014, and expects support from the at least 220 million people who benefitted from several government schemes.