Budget 2024-2025 explained, but through social media memes

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her budget for a record seventh time in a row on Tuesday, there are a few things that both she and those keenly awaiting the budget were aware of. That there will be a flood of memes on social media, discussing not just the salient features of the budget and what it left untouched but also how it was presented and how it was received.

Like always with any budget of the government, there were those who applauded and criticized the budget clearly prompted by which side of the political ideology they subscribe to. To begin with, the salient features literature circulated by the government claims that the Budget 2024-2025 focuses on four categories of people — poor, farmer, youth and women.

The big expenditures of the government

The Defence, pretty much like each year, gets a major chunk of the government expenditure at Rs 4,54, 773 crore, followed by Rural Development. Though it is not a close second at Rs 2,65,808 crores. At number three of the government’s major expenses is the Agriculture and Allied Activities, which collectively receive a budget of Rs 1,51,851 crores. Next in line are Home Affairs, Education, IT and Telecom, Health, Energy. Social Welfare has been kept at the second last of the government’s allocation at Rs 56,501 crore, followed by Commerce and Industry.

Criticism and applause, both galore

The Opposition’s reaction to the budget has been quite strong, with Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha calling the budget, “kursi bachao” budget. He further said that the budget is a copy and paste of the previous Congress budget and manifestoes. While Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called it, “an underwhelming budget” with many misses.

Trinamool Congress opined that it aimed at keeping two states happy, namely Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Congress MP from Chandigarh constituency Manish Tewari went on to quote an English proverb, “tail wags the dog” and said that was the political message of the budget. Many also alleged that the budget ignores Uttar Pradesh and Ayodhya. Those supporting and praising the budget included BJP members and workers. PM Narendra Modi praised the budget of 2024-25 by saying that it will empower “all sections of society.” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hailed the budget as a, “dream budget.”

When memes explain/praise/criticize the budget better

In some of the social media posts, criticism came in the form of memes itself and vice versa. Many pointed out that in the process of pleasing all the classes, the middle class got left out. A netizen pointed out how a common man with Rs 7 lakh income pays 10% tax while the BCCI with Rs 17,000 crore annual income pays 0% tax.