Deve Gowda slams Budget

BANGALORE: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda described the Union budget as anti-farmer and detrimental to the interests of the common man.  Gowda said his repeated pleas to the Union finance minister to redress the problem being faced by areca nut growers fell on deaf ears. “I had requested Pranab Mukherjee to announce a package for the areca nut growers, both for support price and steps to solve the strange disease that  afflicted areca nut plants,” he added. He alleged the UPA government was insensitive to the problems of kisans as waiving of farm loan was not mentioned in the budget. He also objected to the decrease in funds for the  rural employment guarantee scheme.