An intricate link that connects Budgets and politics
The process of budgeting in India is intertwined with politics and electioneering. Budgets in India have historically included announcements for target states as well as specific voter groups
PM Narendra Modi with FM Nirmala Sitharaman (Image: PTI)
On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the third Budget of Modi 2.O and the first since COVID-19 struck. Her biggest challenge will be to find a balance between growth and fiscal discipline. This financial year, India is likely to record its fifth recession since Independence.
This is also a year when elections to four states and one union territory are slated in the second quarter. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the incumbent in one state (Assam) and principal challenger in another (West Bengal).
Updated Jan 23, 2021 | 14:22 IST
The Wayanad MP claimed that the Congress party believes “if Tamil Nadu is India then India is Tamil Nadu too”. Rahul Gandhi in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Saturday.  |  Photo Credit: Twitter
Key Highlights
He accused the Prime Minister of wanting Tamils to be “subservient to his ideas and culture”
Commenting on the contentious central farm laws, he said he believes “Tamil Nadu will set an example for India”
The Congress leader is on a three-day visit to the Tamil Nadu during which he will be interacting with the farming community, weavers, and MSME representatives
Coimbatore: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took direct potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his roadshow in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on Saturday, accusing the PM of not having “any respect” for the people of the state.
DMK alliance to sweep Tamil Nadu elections: C-Voter opinion poll
India
Updated: Monday, January 18, 2021, 21:38 [IST]
New Delhi, Jan 18: The Opinion polls have predicted Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance along with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will win 162 seats in the 234-member House.
MK Satalin
The ruling NDA (AIMDMK+BJP+others) is likely to win 64 seats, according to the projections. In 2016, the UPA had won 98 seats while the NDA had won 136 seats.
The survey suggests the vote share of the DMK alliance will increase by 1.7 per cent. The UPA is expected to get 41.1 per cent vote share against 39.4 per cent vote share in 2016.