NEW DELHI: The BJP strongly defended its first Budget, saying all the sections have been catered to by the government. The ruling party even accused the Congress of not doing its homework properly while critiquing the Budget.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress had not read the Budget document as his government had something for everyone. “It’s a document of resurgent India, a document of hope...it provides a road map for good growth. it’s a turnaround Budget,” said Prasad, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters. It was only the second press conference that the BJP held since it formed government.
He said the Congress’ aim was to divide the bread, while their aim to increase its supply so that a large number of people could benefit from it.
He strongly defended the government’s move to spend `200 crore on building a statue for Sardar Patel even when there was not sufficient funds. “Will there only statues for Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru? Coming generations will be told about what Patel did for the country and the BJP was proud of its decision.”
When questioned about the stock market’s reaction to the Budget, Prasad said, Markets are markets. They are not the only benchmark.”
Meanwhile, the new BJP president Amit Shah held a meeting with party spokespersons and TV panelists to form a media strategy to defend the government and present its case forcefully.