Budget 2021: Shashi Tharoor takes a swipe at BJP, draws parallels with an inefficient garage mechanic

Union Budget 2021: As soon as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman finished her budget speech, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP took a hilarious dig at the BJP government. Reacting to Budget 2021, Tharoor said, “This BJP government reminds me of the garage mechanic who told his client, ‘I couldn’t fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.'”

Tharoor indicated that he is unhappy with the budget as it failed in treating the ills affecting the nation.

Before the start of FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also tweeted sharing his wishlist from the budget 2021. Gandhi has said that the budget should focus on generating more employment by emphasising on farmers and MSMEs.

This BJP government reminds me of the garage mechanic who told his client, “I couldn’t fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” #Budget2021

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 1, 2021

This year’s budget has not been printed due to COVID-19. This is the first time that the Budget copies will be distributed digitally, with budget documents being uploaded on the government website and its copies being made available on an app specially developed for the purpose. Earlier today, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today posed with a tablet which she later used to present her budget.

The COVID-19 has not only affected the printing of budget documents, but it has also resulted in an uptick on budget expenditure. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that the pandemic has increased the expenditure to Rs 34.50 lakh crore in the current fiscal. The FM today also provided Rs 35,000 crore towards COVID-19 vaccination in 2021-22 fiscal.

While presenting the Budget 2021, the FM said that the proposals rest on six pillars – Health and Well-Being, Physical and Financial capital and infrastructure, Inclusive Development for Aspirational India, Reinvigorating Human Capital, Innovation and R&D, and on Minimum Government and Maximum Governance. She said that this is a budget of self-reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat).