Rahul Gandhi criticizes Union Budget 2025, claims it benefits only billionaires

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition criticized the Union Budget 2025, accusing the government of targeting only 20-25 individuals and focusing on benefitting billionaires.

He dismissed the budget's income tax exemption up to Rs 12 lakh as the biggest announcement, calling it a small gesture while the real goal was to redirect India's money to the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

#WATCH | Delhi: Addressing a public rally in Sadar Bazar, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "The budget was presented today, the target of the budget was to benefit 25 people. They will give you a little, they will waive a little tax but if you see the target of… pic.twitter.com/elLe9thuLL

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2025

"The budget was presented today, the target of the budget was to benefit 25 people. They will give you a little, they will waive a little tax but if you see the target of the budget, it is to provide India's money to 20-25 billionaires," he said during a public meeting in Delhi's Sadar Bazar.

The opposition leader also raised concerns about the lack of adequate representation of underprivileged groups in various institutions across India.

"Look at the owners of private hospitals, colleges and universities, big companies, take out the list of big judges and show me who are from the backward class, who are Dalits, who are tribals, minorities, how many are from the poor general class, they are the elected people, they are their friends," he remarked.

Earlier on X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi described the union budget as "a band-aid for bullet wounds" and said the "government is bankrupt of ideas" to boost the economy and increase employment.

A band-aid for bullet wounds!

Amid global uncertainty, solving our economic crisis demanded a paradigm shift.

But this government is bankrupt of ideas.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 1, 2025

"A band-aid for bullet wounds! Amid global uncertainty, solving our economic crisis demanded a paradigm shift. But this government is bankrupt of ideas," he said.

Party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the government has done little to address the problems concerning the economy.

The economy is suffering from four related crises -

i. Stagnant real wages
ii. Lack of buoyancy in mass consumption
iii. Sluggish rates of private investment
iv. A complex and complicated GST system

The Budget does NOTHING to address these illnesses.

The only relief has been…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 1, 2025

"The economy is suffering from four related crises - i. Stagnant real wages ii. Lack of buoyancy in mass consumption iii. Sluggish rates of private investment iv. A complex and complicated GST system The Budget does NOTHING to address these illnesses. The only relief has been for income tax payers. What actual impact this will have on the economy remains to be seen," he said on X.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that the Union Budget was, for most parts, a reading of mundane circulars and minor tinkering that will do nothing to revive India's tottering economy.

The Union Budget was, for most parts, a reading of mundane circulars and minor tinkering that will do nothing to revive India’s tottering economy. For 11 years in a row, the Government has tried to hoodwink the public by giving empty slogans, with no vision or relief for the poor…

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) February 1, 2025

"For 11 years in a row, the Government has tried to hoodwink the public by giving empty slogans, with no vision or relief for the poor and marginalised sections of society. No vision for job creation, nothing to improve India's investment climate, no MSP guarantee for farmers and no strategy to counter the massive inflation destroying budgets of middle class households," he said in a post on X.

He alleged that the budget shows yet another attempt at destroying MGNREGA "as the Centre failed to increase the budget allocated for the scheme that provides a safety net for crores of Indians".

Venugopal said the changes in income tax also are minor course corrections "after massive tax terrorism and other disastrous policies that the Government itself unleashed on the middle class".