The leader himself labeled the budget as “Kursi Bachao” budget. He accused the government of making hollow promises to appease allies at the expense of other states and providing benefits to cronies without offering relief to the common Indian. He also claimed the budget was a copy-and-paste job from the Congress manifesto and previous budgets.
Meanwhile, social media users drew comparisons between Sitharaman’s proposals and Rahul Gandhi’s earlier promises. Notably, there was a claim that the Finance Minister’s announcement of internships for one crore youth in top companies was similar to Gandhi’s “Yuva Nyay” scheme. Gandhi’s scheme promises a right to a one-year apprenticeship for every graduate and diploma holder, including Rs 1 lakh in compensation.
One Twitter user commented: “FM Sitharaman announced internships for 1 crore youth in top 500 companies. This idea seems to have been inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s guarantees. Thank you, RaGa, for guiding these ministers!”
Others took to social media to argue that the budget’s focus on youth employment and training mirrored Gandhi’s proposals, suggesting that while Rahul Gandhi is not currently in power, his ideas continue to influence government policy. A tweet read, “Rahul Gandhi may not be in power, but he is still shaping the government’s agenda. Shadow PM >>> Entire NDA Government.”
Additionally, Rahul Gandhi’s old parliamentary speeches resurfaced, garnering both support and criticism. One tweet pointed out, “I don’t believe RaGa will change anything if he wins the election, but here he is asking a genuine question to the education minister.”
