The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) slams the interim budget placed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman as a bunch of lies and a desperate attempt to privatisation. It is an attempt to come back to power by claiming that the average income of people has increased by 50% and inflation is moderate, which is a myth, while the reality is otherwise with raising prices of essential commodities and unemployment across the nation. The ILO report has unravelled falling real wages across the world including India and UNO report on Poverty Index ranking has exposed the performance of India as worst of the times. Interim budget instead of infusing confidence in the people struggling to meet the ends of their life as only made cruel fun of reality.
Finance Minister in her shortest budget speech has desperately claimed to compare the performance of Modi led BJP Govt with the earlier, while the fact remains that this is the regime under which Privatisation of PSU’s to the huge extent of Rs.4.09 lakh crores was done which is the highest ever in the nation and has set the target of divesting Rs.50000 crores worth PSU shares in FY 25 as against the target of Rs.30000 crores for FY 24. The interim budget has further opened up defence research and development to private players and a corpus of Rs.1 lakh crores is set up for enabling it, to fund 50 years interest free loans to private sector to achieve it in the guise of innovations.
The tall claims made while placing budget in terms of allocation to various welfare were unspent and surrendered back as seen in the case of surrender of Rs 1 lakh crores unspent amount allocated to Agriculture farmers welfare between 2019-20 to 2022-23 reveals the dubious nature of the BJP Govt claims and the fraud on people played by it.
It's a mark of sarcasm that while BJP Govt at the centre is doing everything to dismantle the very concept of federalism enshrined in Constitution, the budget has claimed to chalk out blue print for next generation of reforms in consultation with the states. The track record of last 10 years rule of this Govt clearly demonstrate that its anti-worker, anti-peasant, anti-people and anti-national, true to its character the interim budget has not uttered any positive steps for the workers, peasants and general public at large, rather has claimed to lay down the blue print of its Vikasit Bharath by June 24 coming back to power. True to its neo liberal policies it shall be pro corporate & pro rich Vikasit Bharat which it wishes to build by 2047.
In this back ground CITU calls upon its affiliated unions and its members to make the Feb 16th nation wide mass mobilisations including industrial /sectoral strike & Grameen Bundh call of Samyukth Kisan Morcha and Joint CTU’s a success.
Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary
