Akhilesh Yadav criticizes budget: "Support price to allies instead of MSP for farmers"

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on Tuesday, accusing the ruling BJP of providing "support price" to its allies instead of offering a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers. Speaking to ANI during a protest by the INDIA bloc at the Parliament complex, Yadav said, "We all, especially the Samajwadi Party, were demanding that farmers should get MSP so that their income doubles. But here we are seeing that the support price is given to the alliance partners who are saving their (BJP) government, rather than the farmers." He also expressed concerns over youth internships, questioning their future prospects after the internships end, and criticized the government's efforts to curb inflation.

Additionally, Yadav claimed that Uttar Pradesh received no substantial allocation from the Budget due to political friction between Lucknow and Delhi. He stated, "Uttar Pradesh did not get anything. UP should have got a double benefit from Delhi and Lucknow from the double-engine government. I think the people of Lucknow have angered the people of Delhi. Its result is visible in the budget." Other Samajwadi Party leaders, including Jaya Bachchan and Ram Gopal Yadav, also condemned the Budget, labeling it as "drama" and discriminatory against certain states, particularly Uttar Pradesh. The opposition INDIA bloc, including leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, held a protest in the Parliament complex, raising slogans against the Budget.