Senior BJP leaders highlight Budget 2021 measures in nationwide campaign

A number of Union ministers and other BJP leaders on Saturday addressed press conferences across the country and many others will do so in the coming days as the ruling party launched a nationwide campaign to highlight various aspects of the "pro-people" budget.

In Andhra Pradesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the Modi government has given priority to the health and welfare measures following the Covid-19 outbreak while Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the budget aims to ensure empowerment of all sections of society while boosting 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' exercise.

BJP's chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar will speak to reporters in Mumbai and Pune respectively on Sunday. The outreach will continue.

Union minister Jitendra Singh said in Jammu that the budget has paid special attention to the health, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.

Cabinet colleague Giriraj Singh said in Panaji that the agriculture sector has seen big increase in budgetary allocation during the BJP-led NDA government compared to the preceding Congress-led UPA dispensation.

He said the agriculture budget in the UPA's 2009-14 rule was of Rs 88,000 crore and increased to Rs 4 lakh crore during the NDA's 2014-20 rule.

He claimed that some people are misleading farmers over the new farm reform laws to "weaken" the country and alleged that Left-wing and "tukde-tukde gang" are behind it.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat spoke in Lucknow and many other party leaders addressed press conferences in different parts of the country, Baluni said.

Sitharaman had presented the budget in Parliament on February 1.