Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman on Friday said the “Budget is an instrument for Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, while adding that Opposition leaders create false narratives and accuse the government of working for cronies despite the measures taken to help the poor. 

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In her reply to the issues raised during the ongoing Parliament session on the recently passed Union Budget 2021, Sitharaman said, “It has now become a sort of a habit for some in the Opposition to constantly allege whatever this government is doing in spite of all that we are doing for the poor….a false narrative is created to accuse the government of working only for cronies”.

Highlighting the measures taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government to help the poor, she said over 800 million people had been provided free food grains, free cooking gas had been given to over 80 million people and cash was directly transferred to over 400 million people, including farmers, women and divyang (handicapped) people.

She said that the “stimulus provision in the Budget is for economic revival” and that the reforms taken during the pandemic is for reviving growth.

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“The Budget is looking at maintaining a sustainable economic growth in the medium term,” Sitharaman said. 

Taking a jibe at the Congress party, she asked if the various steps taken by the central government were being used by the rich and the “daamads” (son-in-law) of the nation.   

“Loans sanctioned under Mudra Yojana – more than Rs 27,000 crores. Who takes Mudra Yojana? Damads?” she said.

Her remarks caused a stir in the Hosue as a number of Opposition leaders raised objections to the comments. 

“‘Damad’, I didn’t think is the trademark of Indian National Congress. Damad har ghar mein hota hai. Magar Damad Indian National Congress mein ek specialised naam hai (There is a daamad in every home. But there is a special name in the Indian National Congress),” Sitharaman said. 

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She also stated over 3.6 lakh crore digital transactions via UPI were recorded in India between August 2016 and January 2020.

“UPI is used by who? The rich? No. Middle class, smaller traders. Who are these people then? Is Govt creating UPI, facilitating digital transactions to benefit rich cronies? Some damads?” she said.