He made these comments during a public meeting.
New Delhi: A day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 02 February 2025 mocked former former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi as he claimed that Congress governments imposed heavy taxes on people’s earnings whereas the Central government under him has eased the tax burden and provided greater relief to the middle class.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made these comments during a public meeting ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, at RK Puram in New Delhi on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
“Let me present a picture before you. It will help you understand better and make it easier to explain to others. If we look at this budget—back in Nehru Ji’s time, if you earned Rs 12 lakh, the government would take away one-fourth of your salary as tax. If this were Indira Ji’s era, you would be shocked to hear that out of Rs 12 lakh, nearly Rs 10 lakh would go into taxes. That was the scenario back then, which is why I am explaining this today,” said PM Modi adding that while a Rs 12 lakh income meant paying Rs 2.6 lakh in tax under Congress rule, the latest budget presented by his government ensures zero tax on the same earnings.
“Even 10–12 years ago, under a Congress government, if you earned Rs 12 lakh, you had to pay Rs 2,60,000 in taxes. Now, after yesterday’s BJP government budget, a person earning Rs 12 lakh in a year will not have to pay even a single rupee in tax,” he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, February 1 while presenting the Budget 2025 announced that people earning up to Rs 12 lakh per year will not have to pay income tax which she said was a step to help the middle class.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while praising the Budget, said that it is a “people’s budget” as it puts more money in the hands of people and it is a force-multiplier that will increase investments and lead to growth.
