Post Budget, NDA MPs attend parliamentary party meet to chalk out counter-strategy to foil Opposition attack

New Delhi: NDA MPs are attending a parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, which has been convened a day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget 2016 in the Lok Sabha.

The parliamentary meeting, which began around 9:30 am in the Parliament, is being attended by all NDA MPs including the Prime Minister. During the meeting, the NDA lawmakers are expected to discus the strategy to counter Opposition attack on various issues.    

Terming the Union Budget as "visionary and progressive", BJP on Monday said that it gives priority to farmers and weaker sections and will also lead to empowerment of the youth.

"The budget is for everybody. Budget has been provided for infrastructure like ports, rail, airports. In the health sector, for poor people, upto Rs one lakh cost of hospitalisation will be borne by the government. This is a progressive and visionary budget," Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Similar views were echoed by other ministers of the ruling party with Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi calling it a "perfect, people-friendly and progressive budget".

"India is a country where agriculture holds a prime place but it is after years that this has been reflected in a budget which gives priority to farmers as well as weaker sections.

This budget is one which will also lead to empowerment of the youth," he said.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda termed it as a "positive and balanced" budget and said that there were several initiatives for health and other social sectors which reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.

He said that farmers, artisans, women, unorganised workers, people living below the poverty line and the youth of the country will greatly benefit through this budget.

Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, whose son Jayant Sinha is now Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, said it is good that the budget has focussed on real areas, noting that at the same time it also has many things for the corporates.

The Opposition, however, slammed the Union Budget as a ''lost opportunity and direction less''.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Yadav termed the document as “disappointing” and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said it did not address the concerns of the farmers and the middle class.

Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari tweeted that the Budget is “high on rhetoric, flawed on comparison, low on imagination, bereft of ideas, services oligarchs, constricts freedom of RBI”.

The Trinamul Congress dubbed the Budget “hopeless”, saying it does not offer any solution to the economic problems.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Budget was full of “hollow promises” and will burden commoners who will feel the pinch of hike in indirect tax.

BJD leader Baijayant Panda termed the Union Budget as a “big step” from a macro-economic perspective for its large allocation to infrastructure, especially in rural areas, and steps to cut red tape to ensure ease of doing business.

Meanwhile, veteran BJP leader LK Advani termed the Budget as “one of the best so far”.