“This Budget did not have anything for the youth, it does not have anything in real for women. The central tax slab remained the same and hence, the finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) could not show any direction. We have almost 45 crore eligible people who need a job out of the 140 crore. And this budget failed to show any direction to these people,” said Bhattacharya.

The senior TMC leader further added, “Nirmala Sitharaman claimed that the inflation rate is moderate. But if we look into the rates of food inflation, the picture will be clear. This is the sector that should have been checked as it directly affects the poor. In June 2023, it was 3.35 % but in December 2023 it was 8.70%.”

She said that the allotment for MGNREGA scheme has remained the same this year at Rs 86,000 crore.

Slamming Sitharaman for using words like ‘Bhai-Bhatija’ and temple during her budget speech, Bhattacharya said, “I don’t understand how she used words like Bhai-Bhatija in the central budget. Are they trying to kill the bhaichara or brotherhood which is the real essence of India. We have always said that there can be temples, mosques, and churches but you are trying to polarize people. By speaking of temples during the budget, one should understand that you are trying to use this as a political agenda.”

Raising the issue of pending dues to West Bengal, TMC MP Derek O’Brien accused the central government of “cheating” federalism and committing “financial terrorism” with states. “There was not a word on funds to states in the interim Budget,” he said.

Referring to Sitharaman’s remarks that meeting the needs and fulfilling the aspirations of four “major castes” — the poor, women, the youth and farmers — are the government’s highest priority, the TMC leader claimed that the “bottom 50 per cent the population possesses only three per cent wealth and household savings are at a 50-year low”.

“Three out of four Indians cannot afford a healthy balanced diet,” he said.