Haridwar: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has criticised the Union Budget 2025, claiming, “It neglects farmers and prioritises big corporates.”
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in Parliament on Saturday, highlighting schemes for farmers and women, including the newly announced ‘Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana’ and an increased credit limit for the Kisan Credit Card. However, Tikait claimed the budget fails to address farmers' core concerns.
Reacting to the budget, Tikait said, “Again, farmers have been deceived. This budget only supports capitalism and helps big businesses and manufacturers. There is no plan for loan forgiveness or Minimum Support Price (MSP), both of which are very important for farmers in the country.” He also said that the Centre didn't care about farmers' problems and that “no dialogue has taken place between the government and farmer representatives for a long time.”
Tikait stressed that increasing debt does not make a budget beneficial. “A good budget provides relief from loans. The focus should be on what relief is provided to the common man. Over the past year, milk prices have dropped by Rs 20 per litre, yet farmers have gained nothing,” he said.
He also raised concerns about landless farmers, saying their issues remain unaddressed. “The budget should have included provisions for loan relief, affordable electricity, fertilisers, farming equipment, and solar panels,” he said, adding, “Neither small traders nor farmers have benefited from the budget.”
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