GUWAHATI, March 2 - Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the Modi government is trying to shake off its �suit-boot ka sarkar� tag by pretending to be pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-people.
In a statement here today, Gogoi said that the Modi government had apparently firmed up its mind on a �pro-Left� thrust, largely to live down Rahul Gandhi�s �suit-boot� tag that hung on his government for over a year. �PM Modi is trying to give the impression that the Union Budget 2016-17 is pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-people by not focusing on the �suit-boot� people. In fact, there is no change of heart from pro-rich to pro-poor... it is a change in tactics against the backdrop of multiple crises that grapple the Modi government.�
Gogoi said though the Modi government wanted the Budget to be geared towards the poor and the farmers, in keeping with the government�s credo, �Sabka saath, sabka vikas�, there is little in the Budget that would cheer up the poor and the farmers. �There is no clear indication in the Budget as to how it intends to increase the income of the small and marginal farmers. Acche din�for common man are still a�far cry,� he said.
The Chief Minister said the Budget did not earmark sufficient funds for roads, buildings, health, education, drinking water, communication and housing and for creation of marketing facilities that included cold storage.
Gogoi said that his government has all along been according priority to the smart village concept, unlike the smart city concept of the Modi government. �India lives in rural areas. The priority should be on building infrastructure with all amenities in the villages, instead of the cities, so that rural people do not have to migrate to the cities. That is why our government is giving thrust on smart village concept,� he added.
