The Manipur State Communist Party of India (CPI) Council has hit out at the Central government over the Union Budget tabled at the floor of Parliament on February 1, stating that the budget utterly disregards the impoverished and unemployed section of the country’s population.
Speaking to the media at the Irawat Bhawan in Imphal on Thursday, former state CPI secretary L Sotinkumar stated that the Union Budget reflects favouritism for the rich elites while completely sidelining the grievances of the remaining population.
Highlighting the drastic 50 per cent cut in fertiliser subsidy compared to the last Union budget, Sotinkumar added that the total MGNREGA budget also took a hit, slashing 33 per cent compared to its predecessor.
Even with the price cut on television and smartphones, the budget fails to present the same on petroleum products, cooking gas and other essential commodities, he stated.
Sotinkumar also pointed out the absence of a proper employment policy and added that the budget will usher in little to no change for the diverse nation.
Replying to queries on the budget’s impact in the Northeast, Sotinkumar stated the budget maintains the status quo of state government’s dependency on the Centre. However, the budget does reflect improvement on various developmental schemes of the NE region, particularly the Act East Policy, he added.
eanwhile, State CPI Council assistant secretary N Singhajit alleged that the budget is an indiscriminate surgical strike on the farmers’ community of the country. Highlighting the drastic cut in the total budget for agriculture, he maintained that the government’s move is a clap back to the nation’s farmers for their 13 months' uproar against the 2020 Farm Bills.
"Although the farm laws were formally repealed, the sour taste of defeat fuelled the government to initiate the cut," he said.
Singhajit pointed out that the Central government’s failure to implement both the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers and legalise the Minimum Support Price.
“Both were assured by the government and even included in the BJP’s election manifesto but no progress materialised,” he said.
He further stated that the State CPI and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (a conglomerate of over 400 farmers’ bodies) strongly condemned the Union Budget.
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