Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments on the Union Budget, calling them “politically motivated” and asserting that Gandhi has “zero knowledge” of the Indian economy.
During a press conference, Sarma also took aim at the Congress for failing to raise the tax exemption limit during their 60 years in power.
“Congress should not criticize the Union Budget at all. After 60 years of rule, they failed to provide even Rs 5 lakh relief to the middle class,” he said.
Sarma highlighted that the income tax exemption limit under the Congress-led government had been set at Rs 3 lakh.
“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has provided relief to all sections, from lower to upper-middle-class, and allocated more tax devolution to the states. This Budget has something for everyone,” he added.
The chief minister also pointed out that under the Narendra Modi government, the tax exemption limit was first raised to Rs 5 lakh, and then further increased to Rs 7 lakh in subsequent budgets.
“Rahul Gandhi’s comments are politically motivated and show that he has zero understanding of the country’s economy,” Sarma said.
Regarding Assam, Sarma announced that the state would receive Rs 44,500 crore in tax devolution from the Centre in the next fiscal year, an increase from the current Rs 40,000 crore.
Meanwhile, Gandhi had criticized the Union Budget as a “band-aid for bullet wounds,” accusing the government of being “bankrupt of ideas” and failing to address the economic crisis.
He made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
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In addition, Sarma revealed that the Centre would announce 5-6 policy measures to benefit the northeastern state ahead of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, set to take place on February 25-26.
As per the Union Budget for 2025-26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman increased the income tax exemption limit to Rs 7 lakh, and individuals earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually will now be tax-exempt.
An additional Rs 75,000 standard deduction will benefit the salaried class.
Changes to tax slabs for those earning above this threshold will help individuals save up to Rs 1.1 lakh in taxes for those with incomes up to Rs 25 lakh.
