AGARTALA, July 5 (TIWN): The Congress on Friday said the Union Budget 2019-20 was "nothing new" and the government had walked back on the promises made to the people. "This is old wine in new bottle. They have walked back on all their old promises. People's misery is only going to increase. There is nothing new in this budget," Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told the media in Parliament. Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, “Betrayal’ of India’s Youth! 1. Not a word on Unemployment, 2. Not a word on New Opportunities, 3. Not a word on Public Education, 4. Not a word on High Fee Structure.The comments came after the Budget was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Motilal Vora said: "There is nothing for the common man in the Budget." Slamming the government, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Budget was lacklusture and uninspiring. "An utterly lacklustre, nondescript, uninspiring and directionless Budget 2019. Zero on economic revival. Zero on rural growth. Zero on job creation. Zero on urban rejuvenation. Can a mundane jugglery of 'acronyms' pass off for vision for a 'New India'?" Surjewala asked.

In another tweet, he said: "Villages, farmers and poor are on the edge. Will a few words solve the agrarian crisis? No promise to fulfil minimum support price (MSP), no way to fight famine-drought, no steps to strengthen rural economy. An additional load of Rs 2 on diesel."

Referring to the Budget as fraudulent, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, “The Budget is fraudulent. The FM has used February 2019 interim Budget’s revised estimates as the revised estimates for the whole year 2018-19! Expenditure cuts in the last quarter in the run up to polls are not accounted for! So a rosy picture of the economy is based on jugglery.”

Petrol and Diesel prices are set to rise by Rs 2 per litre in the country as new Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech today increased of special additional excise duty (SAED) as well as Road and Infrastructure Cess by Rs 1 per litre each on automobile fuels.