All talk, no action, government playing game of ‘smoke and mirrors’: Shashi Tharoor slams interim Budget

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in Lok Sabha accuses the Centre of deception and failure in addressing economic issues affecting the poor, women, youth, and farmers in the interim budget.

The Congress on February 7 accused the Centre of playing the game of "smoke-and-mirrors" with its interim budget and asked the Modi government "kiska saath aur kiska vikas" when the poor, women, youth and farmers were among the "worst performing groups" economically.

Initiating the debate on the Interim Budget 2024-25 in Lok Sabha, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the government was about "all talk and no action" and dubbed the ruling NDA as "no data available" to reveal the real situation of poverty and consumption in the country.

Taking a swipe at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks describing GDP as governance, development and performance, Mr. Tharoor said that under the current dispensation “G stands for governmental intrusion and tax terrorism, D for demographic betrayal and P for poverty continuing”.

"This actual 'GDP' also jettisons the trinity of 'demography, democracy and diversity' that the government claims to be serving.

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"The demographic dividend is on the cusp of becoming a demographic disaster with the unemployment crisis, K-shaped growth, and the ever-widening schism between the rich and poor," Mr. Tharoor alleged.

In a scathing attack at the government, Mr. Tharoor said that in 2014 the people chose to offer a mandate to the current dispensation with the hope that this government would come through on their “bloated rhetoric” of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (Together with all, development for all)‘, the “illusory promise” of inclusive development for all Indians.