Terming the Union budget as "lacklustre and totally directionless," AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on Friday said it was presented with an eye on the vote bank in view of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
In a statement, she said the budget relied on the recycling of phrases from the previous budgets and contained mostly ideas which had nothing to do with the actual revenue and expenditure position of the Government.
On waiver of farm loans, she said it was "highly disappointing" that the Centre had restricted the concession to only small and marginal farmers.
Stating that farmers who were driven to suicide were those in the clutches of unscrupulous money lenders, she said there was no constructive plan in the budget for protection of farmers.
Jayalalithaa said the decline in the growth of agriculture production from 3.8 per cent to 2.6per cent in 2007-08 showed the Centre's 'lack of concern' for the farm sector.
On the allocation of Rs 300 crore for the desalination project in Chennai, she said the amount had shrunk from the Finance Minister's initial offer of Rs 1,000 crore, made in 2004.
She also said there was no mention about formation of an IIM in Tamil Nadu, for which the Chief Minister had written a letter to the Prime Minister.
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