New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) BJP Lok Sabha member Jayant Sinha on Tuesday described the union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as "visionary" with significant investments in infrastructure to put India on the growth path.

Participating in the discussion on the union budget in the Lok Sabha, Sinha hit out at the opposition saying they have been left disillusioned due to "their shrinking empires" which have now been limited to Kerala.

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Seeking to compare the handling of crises situation by the UPA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA, Sinha said India under the Congress-ruled UPA was classified among the "fragile five" during the global financial crisis of 2007-08.

"But, when Covid pandemic struck, prime minister and finance minister steered India through the crisis and put the economy on the growth path at 9.2 per cent," Sinha, a former union minister of state for finance, said.

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He said stock markets were booming and capital flows have increased in the country as the world knows that India was no longer among the "fragile five".

'Fragile five' was a term used in 2013 to describe Brazil, Indonesia, India, South Africa and Turkey as investors pulled out funds from the emerging market economies to invest in developed markets anticipating higher yields.

Sinha also criticised Congress member Shashi Tharoor for likening the next 25 years as an "age of darkness" (Andh kaal) instead of 'Amrit Kaal' (golden age) as described by the finance minister.

"It is true... there is 'andh kaal' in Jharkhand and other Congress-ruled states," he said.

Sinha said rural roads of 36,500 km have under the Modi government and allocation for national highways has been pegged at Rs 1.34 lakh crore.

Sinha also listed out allocations for various sectors, including healthcare, MSME, semi-conductors, building digital infrastructure, start-ups among others.

"It is because of our work, the prime minister's popularity is at its peak... this has surely left you disillusioned. Hence you talk of two Indias. You are unhappy because your empire is shrinking and people are with us," Sinha said.

IUML member Abdussamad Samadani said the budget would widen the gap between the rich and the poor.

He said the budget completely ignored the poor which has led to 57 per cent of national wealth in the hands of 10 per cent people.

CPI(M) member A M Ariff said the Amrit Kaal mentioned by Sitharaman in her budget speech was for corporates, who could get control of key PSUs over the next 25 years.

Ariff urged the government to make provision of Rs 50 crore to 14 Kendriya Vidyalayas that were on the verge of shutting down because of lack of support from PSUs.

The CPI(M) member accused the government of double standards, contending that on the one hand it stressed on infrastructure development, but has refused to support the Silverline semi-high speed railway corridor connecting north and south Kerala,

AIMIM member Imtiaz Jaleel urged the finance minister to have a separate budget for health and education sectors.

Jaleel also asked the government to make allocations to strengthen healthcare sector, which he said was found lacking during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also wanted an inquiry into the mid-day meal scheme alleging irregularities in it.

Jaleel expressed dismay over the reduction in allocations for education scheme for madrassas and suggesting diverting funds saved from scrapping of Haj subsidy to start schools for girl students.

Congress member K Muraleedharan demanded that the government shut down the civil aviation portfolio contending that it was of no use as Air India had been sold to Tatas and airports were being privatised.

Muraleedharan expressed staunch opposition to the Silverline project and demanded strengthening of the existing railway network in Kerala.

RSP member N K Premachandran appreciated the finance minister for not falling to the temptation of populist announcements in the wake of the elections in five states and also lauded her for higher capital outlays made in the budget.

Premchandran expressed unhappiness over the decline in allocation to social welfare programmes and asserted that the budget was helping the rich and ignoring the poor.

He said the government should be grateful to the UPA for enacting Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and National Food Security Act which were the mainstay in the fight against Covid-19.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)