Interim budget an attempt by Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government to shore up its declining popularity: Sharad Pawar's NCP

File Photo

The opposition Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Tuesday said the interim budget for FY 2024-25 presented in the Maharashtra Assembly by the Eknath Shinde government was supposed to be for the next four months, but it was presented as a full budget keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Party's state president Jayant Patil said the budget was also an attempt by the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government to shore up its declining popularity, newswire PTI reported. "An interim budget is supposed to be for the next four months, but the government has presented a budget like it is a full-budget. The budget has been prepared by keeping the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in mind," claimed Patil, a former state finance minister.

He said the Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister had set certain precedents while presenting the central budget, but they were trampled upon by while presenting the state budget. Patil said the 'Mahayuti' government has not followed any financial planning while preparing the budget and announced sops for certain sections in a bid to woo them.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, presented the interim budget in the Assembly with a provision of Rs 6.52 lakh crore for total expenditure for the year 2024-25 with a revenue deficit of Rs 9,734 crore. The budget proposed no new taxes.

Earlier Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray also said the Maharashtra interim budget is full of assurances with an eye on upcoming elections and termed it pro-contractor.

The interim budget 2024-25 was presented in the legislative assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio. "There is no clarity on what happened to the announcements made in last year's budget," Thackeray told reporters.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed bhoomi poojan for a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial, but the project has seen little progress. The bhoomipujan for the memorial of the Maratha king in the Arabian Sea was performed in December 2016.

"The budget presented today is full of assurances keeping the elections in mind. The announcements made are big and alluring, actually, it (the budget) is for contractors," Thackeray added.

While the working class and farmers are in distress, people don't trust the government, the former chief minister alleged.