Mere words, no benefits for farmers and the poor: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Budget 2025 - World News Network

New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has termed the 2025 Union Budget a “non-event” and the weakest one in the last 10 years.
“This is the same Budget that we have been seeing in the last 10 years. These are only mere words. There are no benefits for farmers, the poor and the middle class. There is no relief for the middle class. This is the weakest budget in the last 10 years. It is a non-event,” Gogoi told ANI.
When asked about the Budget announcement of income tax exemption up to Rs 12 lakh, he said that these are just tax restructuring and when one goes into detail there are no real benefits.
Gogoi said that INDIA bloc walked out of the Parliament because they did not get any response from the Centre whether a discussion on Maha Kumbh stempede will take place in the House or not.
“We want a discussion on the Kumbh stampede in Parliament. INDIA Alliance walked out and we have not yet received any information on whether the discussion will take place or not. We want a discussion so that the truth can come out,” he said.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also criticised the budget saying there was noting in this budget for the poor and the announcements had been made keeping the Bihar polls in mind.
“There is nothing for the common man in the budget. As you know that there are elections in Bihar this year, so keeping that in mind, the budget has been presented for Bihar. Everything has been given to Bihar. When the budget was presented in July 2024, everything was done for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. For the last 10 years, BJP has been in power and Bengal has not got anything, it is sad and unfortunate,” TMC MP Abhishekh Banerjee said.
Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Budget speech that no income tax will be payable on income up to Rs 12 lakh, providing significant relief to taxpayers especially the middle class.
This limit will be Rs 12.75 lakh rupees for salaried tax payers counting Rs 75,000 of standard deduction. She also stated that the new income tax regime will be simpler, with a special focus on benefiting the middle class.
But there is a catch, the exemption can be earned only if a tax payer takes relief under various sections of the income tax act like Rs 1.5 lakh exemption under section 80CCC, exemption of Rs 1.5 lakh for paying interest on home loans.
Sitharaman says “To tax payers up to Rs 12 lakh of normal income (other than special rate income such as capital gains) tax rebate is being provided in addition to the benefit due to slab rate reduction in such a manner that there is no tax payable by them.”
The announcement from the Finance Minister of this big relief to the middle class was met by loud thumping of the desks by the treasury benches led by PM Narendra Modi.
The finances minister announced change in income tax slabs and rates across the board, ensuring a more progressive taxation system.
Sitharaman says “Slabs and rates are being changed across the board to benefit all tax-payers. The new structure will substantially reduce the taxes of the middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment.” (ANI)

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