The interim budget was just another instance of how the ruling Government has opted to stay true to its disappointing roadmap of governance

Owing to the fact that Union Minister Arun Jaitley was unable to present the interim budget, Piyush Goyal presented it for the Modi Government last week. Unfortunately, while there was a change in the person presenting the interim budget, there was little about this budget that could distinguish it from what India has seen over the past five years. This budget represented those values that the BJP Government has been repeatedly demonstrating ever since in power. In this week’s column, I will attempt to highlight how the interim budget was only a microcosm of the BJP’s approach to governance. It was irresponsible, ill-conceived and insulting.

Irresponsible: It is important to refer to the context in which the interim budget was presented. Frank Snepp, a journalist, had once said, “Disinformation is most effective in a very narrow context.” True words have never been spoken. While the BJP and its army of social media warriors tried hard to convince the people that this budget was a game-changer, it’s crucial to understand the context of the budget, which is that it was an interim budget.

An interim budget is typical in a democracy where the party in power is about to witness an election year, where it may be voted out and another political party or a coalition of various parties may be voted to power. Since the two Governments may have different fiscal and budgetary plans, as per established convention, the interim budget is usually limited to signalling and explaining to the country what would be the measures that the Government in power aims to pursue if voted to power again.

At this stage, a vote-on-account is also presented that details an estimate of the expenditure to be sanctioned till the final budget is passed by the next Government in power. This tradition has been followed by responsible Governments in India for over 70 years now. Someone forgot to give the BJP the memo.

As the West Bengal episode shows, the BJP has time and again demonstrated that it has no interest in acting like a responsible Government. This interim budget was no different. As I had said earlier, it is almost unheard of for a budget to introduce sweeping changes. But in this one, the BJP recklessly introduced some tax changes, which otherwise require debate and discussion.

I have heard that the rationale behind introducing the tax reform was that the middle class needed clarity about the tax structure at the beginning of the year. This seems insincere and convenient. Especially because the BJP is aware that this proposal may change further when the final budget is passed in Parliament after debate. So, to hear this Government, that regularly treats statistics and numbers as an inconvenience talk about the need of clarity for the middle class, brings tears to the eye. If only they made the people of this country cry a little less often.

Ill-conceived: Another piece of news that emerged last week was a leaked jobs report by the National Sample Survey Office, which detailed how India was going through its worst job crisis in 45 years. As per the report, its findings were withheld by this Government, which ultimately forced two senior members of the Statistics Commission to quit in protest.

While I could write every week about how the BJP has repeatedly shown utter disregard for any report, any institution or authority that sheds light on just how shambolic this Government has been, today, I want to talk about how this Government ignored the crucial issue of jobs in the interim budget.

This was especially surprising since jobs for the youth was one of the BJP’s primary election promises in 2014. While I initially reacted with surprise, I realised that since the BJP has been ignoring the jobs problem for the past five years, why should the interim budget be any different?

In any case, this omission speaks louder than the silence of the Prime Minister when asked an inconvenient question. It demonstrates that the BJP does not have a clear stand on any particular issue. Whether it’s the question of instituting a Lok Pal and tackling corruption or the issue of creating jobs, this Government’s only tactic has been to move from one issue to the other so that people do not stay and examine an issue long enough to question what is actually being done.

While jobs may have been a popular issue for the BJP in 2014, it is now avoiding the issue like a plague or ignoring a scientific report by a reputed institution that reflects the ground reality.

Insensitive: Another facet of the BJP that this interim budget displayed was just how insensitive this Government can be. Take the example of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme announced during the interim budget. Under this programme, the BJP has offered direct cash support of Rs 6,000 per year to farmers who have a land holding of up to two hectares. This amounts to an insulting Rs 17 per day. The BJP is aware that it has failed our country’s farmers completely and believes that its latest attempt will help pacify them. This is unlikely.

Not only because of the insulting Rs 17 per day grant to the farmers but for the reason that people of this country are aware that this is just another jumla of the BJP Government like the ‘Smart Cities’ initiative or the ‘Clean Ganga’ promise.

The very idea of direct cash transfer is already in place in Telangana. The only difference is that in that State, first a survey was done and records were updated. Only then was the scheme implemented. In the case of the BJP, however, it has typically gone straight to announce the scheme without the slightest pretence of even attempting to make the scheme work. on the ground. This programme has all the tell-tale signs of a classic jumla.

The current BJP Government has had repeated opportunities at its disposal to mend ways and behave like a responsible Government, one that respects the country’s institutions and holds differing views from its own or at the very least a Government that is connected to the ground situation. But it wasted each and every opportunity. The latest interim budget is just another instance in a long line of instances of the Government choosing to stay true to its disappointing approach to governance.

(The writer is Jharkhand PCC president, former MP and IPS officer. Views are personal)