Watch: FM Sitharaman goes ‘whaaat…’ at press briefing; here’s how internet reacted

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday bashed reports that the Union budget for 2023-24 was ‘not good enough’ and that it offered little in terms of support for the middle class.

Hyderabad: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday bashed reports that the Union budget for 2023-24 was ‘not good enough’ and that it offered little in terms of support for the middle class. However, the FM is yet again criticised over the social media platforms for her arrogant tone and refusal to answer media questions.

In response to a reporter’s question about the opposition’s criticism, the Finance Minister expressed utter disbelief and exclaimed, “Whaaat?” The video is going online on social media with #BJPfailedIndia trending.

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The reporter had asked Sitharaman, “Opposition parties have been calling this ‘nil battey sannata’ (good for nothing) budget… they said [it is] not good enough.” To this, the Finance Minister pressed the reporter for specifics, asking for details about the opposition’s criticism. “For what reasons (are opposition parties saying this)… if I may know?”

When the reporter said to her that it was about the middle class not benefitting enough from the budget, she was seen exclaiming “Whaaat?” and quickly moved on from the question without answering it.

https://twitter.com/UrbanShrink/status/1620804672582811649?s=20&t=cH8WZiKsarWgxaLg8BV5bw

The video soon went viral with #BJPfailsIndia trending online. The social media users fumed over the FM for her arrogant attitude, sarcasm, and dodging the question rather than answering it.

“If this ‘Amrit Kaal’ budget is so good, then why is the Finance Minister fuming on the journalist?,” questioned a user. “What can you expect from the Modi government, which doesn’t care about the poor and middle-class…,” said another user.

ARROGANCE, The name is Nirmala Sitharaman! pic.twitter.com/5fJJO9SA02

— Mannu (@meharaazzz) February 2, 2023

https://twitter.com/DharamBaskar/status/1620808254984196097?s=20&t=cH8WZiKsarWgxaLg8BV5bw

Sitharaman made several announcements in the Union Budget 2023-2024 on Wednesday, including increasing the income tax rebate limit from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh under the new tax regime.

The simplified personal tax regime or the New Tax Regime (NTR) was introduced with effect from the financial year 2020-21. While the tax rates under this regime were lower, no exemptions and deductions were provided in the regime. However, as of now, taxpayers can choose to stick on to their old tax regime.