Siddiqui dubs Bihar budget 'anti-poor'

Patna, Mar 3 (UNI) RJD MLA Abdul Bari Siddiqui today dubbed the Bihar budget ''anti-poor,'' saying state Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi is like a ''hero'' for the business class while ''villain'' for the commoners.

Participating in the debate on the state budget 2008-09, Mr Siddiqui said the NDA government of Bihar had failed to implement the assurances made in its election manifesto.

He said the major promise of the NDA to make Bihar a crime free state within three months of coming to power had virtually nose dived and the state capital Patna was at the top in murder cases.

Referring to the National crime bureau report, Mr Siddiqui said regarding law and order Bihar was at the 17th rank in 2003 whereas it was placed at the 19th rank in 2007.

It was great irony that the Nitish Kumar government was observing the current year as 'agriculture year' and had made a provision of only 2.1 per cent on agricultural expenditures in the budget, he said.

Mr Siddiqui described the state government as ''anti minority,'' saying the section were deprived of the benefits they were getting earlier.

Participating in the debate which remained inconclusive, BJP member Ramadhar Singh said the budget tabled by the Nitish Kumar government is development oriented.

UNI RS-KKS ADG SS RL RN1945