Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said in his speech the interim budget touches all sections of the society and includes everyone, asserting that it is a merely a "trailer" of what will guide India towards prosperity after the Lok Sabha polls. This budget will boost the efforts of 130 crore citizens in realising the goal of a new India, PM Modi said. Watch the complete speech for more.<doc-sep>Leaders of the BJP-led ruling alliance lavished praise on the Union Budget with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it benefits every section of society and will boost growth but the Opposition scorned its populist push, calling it the saffron party's poll manifesto and election 'jumla'. With some Union ministers hailing the budget as a "surgical strike" on the Opposition, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi mocked their show of euphoria, saying a surgical strike will happen on Modi and his government on issues like the Rafale deal, jobs and demonetisation during the general election. Former finance minister P Chidambaram mocked the budget as an account for votes and not a vote on account as it should have been. The NDA leaders expressed hope that the budget's sops for the middle class, farmers and small industries will boost their electoral prospects and their optimism was visible in their praise for these. BJP chief Amit Shah said the interim budget "benefits" all sections of the society and asserted that it has underscored the Modi government's dedication to the aspirations of the country's youth, farmers and the poor. He highlighted the increase in income tax exemption to Rs 5 lakh, a move aimed at wooing the salaried middle class, and annual payout of Rs 6,000 to farmers to drive home his point. Modi said over 12 crore farmers, three crore middle-class families and 30-40 crore workers employed in unorganised sector will benefit from the budget which, he asserted, is merely a "trailer" of what will guide India towards prosperity after the elections, expected in April-May. This budget will boost the efforts of 130 crore citizens in realising the goal of a new India, he said. Slamming the government for "trampling" on time-honoured conventions by presenting a "full-fledged budget" and not an interim one, former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram accused it of violating the Constitution. "My one line comment on the budget is that it was not a Vote on Account but an account for votes. It was a full-fledged budget accompanied by an election campaign speech," he told reporters. The government has said that it was an interim budget. In his reaction, Gandhi also accused the government of destroying the lives of farmers over the past five years, and said the budget's announcement of "Rs 17 a day" for them was an insult to everything they stand and work for. CPI-M leader Mohammad Salim called the announcements an election "jumla" (rhetoric), a sentiment echoed by former BJP ally and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha, now in the Congress-led alliance, who added that the interim budget will be the "antim" (last) budget of this government. "The budget is anti-youth and misleading for all sections of society, including farmers. This is nothing by an election jumla," Kushwaha said. The budget's proposals have assumed significance as they come weeks ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule. BJP ally and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan hailed the budget as "second surgical strike", saying the first- a reference to the Army's attack on terror launch pads across the border- used bullets against the country's external enemies while this will use ballots to decimate the ruling NDA's rivals in the general election. He claimed that Modi will come back to power with the NDA winning more than 400 seats in the coming polls. RSS affiliates also praised the budget, terming it pro-people and a step towards ensuring universal basic income. "Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has enumerated many pro-workers measures already in place. Even though this is an interim budget, let the pro-worker vision form a part of the future road map for development," Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh president Saji Narayanan said in a statement. Echoing similar sentiments, Sangh-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said this budget has something for everyone, be it farmers, middle class or workers. "It is actually a pro-people budget," he said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh described the budget as "historic" and said it will accelerate the process of creating a 'new India' which is confident, self-reliant, developed and prosperous. Union minister Arun Jaitley, who had been holding the finance portfolio but had to relinquish the office for health reasons, said the government's decision to exempt income of up to Rs 5 lakh from tax will benefit the "great Indian middle class". The significant announcement made by Goyal will strengthen the purchasing power of the middle class which holds the key for India's future, he said. He is currently in the US for treatment. The ruling TRS in Telangana claimed the cash dole for farmers was an "imitation" of a scheme launched by it but added that politics had taken precedence over economics in the budget. BSP president Mayawati called the budget 'jumlebazi' that did not address the ground realties. Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav said in a budget of one year, the BJP has given lies of "next 10 years". West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a key opposition leader, said Friday the interim budget for 2019-20 had absolutely no value as the term of the NDA government would end soon. "Who will implement this?" the Trinamool Congress president asked. AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the budget will prove to be "final jumla" of the government.<doc-sep>This budget will be the last of the incumbent government. (File photo: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the Opposition to cooperate as he addressed the media ahead of the budget session of Parliament. "The nation is well aware of the hardships we are facing. We will work towards the development of the nation. I hope all parties contribute towards the smooth functioning of the budget session of Parliament," PM Modi said. PM Modi added, "The country is observing the proceedings of the Parliament. The MPs should hold a meaningful debate in this session of the Parliament. We are eager to hold a debate on all important issues." The budget session commenced with an address by the President, Ram Nath Kovind. This budget will be the last of the incumbent government. Earlier there was a confusion over whether the budget would be termed "full budget". The finance ministry, however, clarified yesterday that the term was used only for communication and that only an interim budget would be presented on February 1.<doc-sep>The salaried class and vast swathes of India with moderate salaries got major relief in Budget 2019-20. New Delhi: The acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal today made a shrill election pitch on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Carrying a bag for of goodies for the Middle-Class, it was clear that there was nothing 'interim' about the Union Budget that he was presenting. The salaried class and vast swathes of India with moderate salaries got major relief, particularly in the form of income tax breaks. Here are key announcements that Middle-Class would simply love:<doc-sep>
FM Piyush Goyal: Committed to eliminating the scourge of black money; anti-black money measures taken have brought… https://t.co/eTBeV205z6 — ANI (@ANI) 1549003406000 Visuals from Lok Sabha during Finance Minister Piyush Goyal's speech #Budget2019 https://t.co/6wM8qU5Pkh — ANI (@ANI) 1549004404000 Budget 2019: How Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi reacted in Lok Sabha during FM's speech NEW DELHI: Finance minister Piyush Goyal's announcement of a tax rebate on income up to Rs 5 lakh drew huge applause from the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha on Friday.In his Budget speech, Goyal said annual income up to Rs 5 lakh will be tax-free for individual taxpayers. Taking into account the Rs 1.50 lakh investment exemption allowed, an individual taxpayer can save tax on annual income of up to Rs 6.5 lakh. Standard Deduction has also been raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000.The finance minister's proposal to double the income tax exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh from the next fiscal (tax slabs have not changed), as expected, drew a favourable response from the ruling side, who were seen thumping their desks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too looked pleased. Along with other senior leaders, he thumped his bench as chants of "Modi, Modi" by BJP members filled the Lok Sabha, even as Goyal paused for almost a minute during the chants.Not just once, the usual sombre-looking Prime Minister applauded Goyal's speech several times.In contrast, Congress president Rahul Gandhi looked blank as he listened to the income tax proposals.Goyal announced various populist measures, including direct cash transfer to farmers, during the course of his speech, all of which were welcomed by a thumping of desks on several occasions.Goyal also made two references to Bollywood flick 'Uri.' "It was fun watching Uri. There was a lot of josh (energy) in the movie (Uri movie mein jo maza aaya. Jo Josh tha)," Goyal said while mentioning the future agenda. This prompted many members, including law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to deliver the movie's dialogue "How is the josh".