Union Budget does not address the issue of inflation: Bengal Finance Minister

Kolkata, Feb 1 (IANS) The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman does not address the burning issue of inflation, West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said on Wednesday.

Talking to media persons, Bhattacharya said that against the backdrop of the rising inflation, which has made the lives of lower and middle class in the society miserable, it was expected that the Union government will give some exemptions in GST on certain essential items.

"However, there was no such proposal. Some are claiming that the income tax exemptions proposed in the budget will provide the middle class additional money in their hands. However, that will not ultimately help them against the backdrop of any concrete step to bring the inflation under control," she said.

According to her, the budget proposals have been framed keeping in mind some poll- bound states this year. "Hence, the budget speech has been carefully drafted to provide some benefits in case of these poll-bound states. Otherwise for the society at large the net gain from the budget proposals is zero," Bhattacharya said.

Echoing her, Trinamool Congress' state General Secretary and spokesman Kunal Ghosh said thayt just as in Ramayana, Ravana came in the disguise of a monk to kidnap Sita, similarly the budget proposals will bring more miseries for people in disguise of relief. "Lot of good things have been said in the budget speech. But in reality, these tall talks were nothing but attempts to hoodwink the common people and add more burden on them," Ghosh said.

Reacting to reference to Ramayana drawn by Ghosh in the matter, BJP's state President Sukanta Majumdar said that the people of West Bengal are quite aware of who all in the state are involved in immoral activities in the state like Ravana in disguise of a monk.