New Delhi, Feb 05, 2023, IANS

New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) In the annual Union budget, most look out for any change in the tax slab. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in the Parliament and spoke about the change in the tax slabs along with the electoral equations of this budget.

This budget has prepared a complete road map for the polls in the near future. Explaining the political aspect of this budget, analysts say that there is no doubt that this budget will help in assembly elections of nine states to be held this year and the Lok Sabha elections next year.

But the challenge is how the BJP leaders and people's representatives take this budget to the public and how much advantage they can take of it.

BJP planned a nationwide campaign to take the understanding of the budget to the common people. Leaders were asked to hold press conferences in every district in the states.

BJP won the confidence of working class as it is people-friendly. There is a lot in this budget for the common man and the poor people of the country. Maximum relief is going to be given in the form of tax.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Budget saying that it provides a foundation to the resolve for a developed India. BJP leaders including Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh also hailed the 'Amrit Kaal' Budget.

The Opposition has alleged that the Budget has been devised for the polls and not for the welfare of the country.

Congress said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government could not meet expectations. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Budget is anti-people and that it did not pay heed to the poor in the country and raised the unemployment issue. She said that Budget 2023 is "totally opportunistic."

However, there were some opposition leaders though, who applauded the budget. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and P. Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, had few words of praise for the annual document.

Tharoor said: "The tax exemptions are a good thing. But no one heard anything about MNREGA. What has been done for the unemployed people in the villages? Actually, we did not even hear the word unemployment, which is such a massive issue in our country."

"So was the case with price rise. They will give tax exemptions, but whatever they give, you will end up spending the money you save because of rising prices," he added.