New Delhi, February 28
Describing the Union Budget as a Budget of a “lawyer” and not a “leader”, the main Opposition party, the BJP, today said the Budget presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was “short on candour and high on dissemination”.

“It is a very sad fact that the Budget has too many propagandist utterances and lacks bold measures as the Finance Minister simply doesn’t have a free play to do innovation....So, it is a missed opportunity,” senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh told mediapersons here.

Accusing Mr Chidambaram of indulging in untenable assertions, Mr Jaswant Singh said the Budget could at the most be described as a “lawyer’s Budget”, not a “leader’s Budget”.

Leader of the Opposition and BJP President L.K. Advani said. “The Finance Minister’s attempt to play safe has dampened expectations, which is an outcome of the enormous pulls and pressures that the UPA government has been facing.”

“There is a conspicuous reluctance to take any new bold steps that may be perceived as treading on anyone’s toes. This only betrays a lack of confidence about the UPA government’s longevity,” Mr Advani said.

“Salaried people would have to pay more tax and there is no scheme for employment generation... and it is ridiculous to have levy on withdrawal of Rs 10,000 from banks....This provision has made the entire Budget exercise a laughing matter,” former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee told mediapersons.

Janata Dal (U) leader Nitish Kumar said the Finance Minister did not provide any special allocation to Bihar.

“We have been stabbed once again in the name of special economic package for Bihar.”

Describing the budget as “anti-farmer” and “anti-people”, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said it was aimed at benefiting the urban upper class and there was nothing for farmers and labourers. He opposed tax on cash withdrawal from banks.