Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday praised the union budget for 2022-23 even as his party Janata Dal (United) senior leader Upendra Kushwaha called it disappointing.

“Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has disappointed people of Bihar by ignoring the demand for special status category. This budget is historic for developed states, but disappointing for Bihar,” Kushwaha said, in a tweet in Hindi.

CM Kumar, though, in a series of tweets, hailed the budget and welcomed the announcement for giving impetus to infrastructure development and construction of 80 lakh homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. “The Centre’s decision to promote natural farming along the Ganga river corridor in 5-km radius is a praiseworthy step. The state government is already developing organic corridor along the banks of river Ganga in 13 districts from its own resources,” the chief minister said. “The state governments will get financial relief by higher allocations of central funds by way of share in central taxes,” he said.

The CM also hailed the budget provisions for higher procurement of wheat and paddy.

State BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal hailed the union budget as visionary. “Developing states like Bihar would get maximum benefit of this budget, which is futuristic and lays foundation for next 25 years,” said Jaiswal.

Meanwhile, the principal opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), called the budget disappointing.

“Bihar has once again been ignored. The budget doesn’t make any mention of according special status category to the state. It’s just tailored to serve the interests of the rich. Generating 60 lakh jobs is just like promises made in the past. There is no relief in income tax slabs for the middle class, which is facing the brunt of inflation,” leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said.

State Congress legislature party leader Ajit Sharma also slammed the budget for ignoring Bihar’s demand for special status category.

CPI-ML(Liberation), a major left party in Bihar, also trashed the union budget. “It will only make big holes in common people’s pockets. The corporates have got more incentives while various demands of farmers have been ignored. This budget is a supplementary for privatization,” one of its leaders said.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) and Bihar Industries Association( BIA) also lamented that the state did not get special status category or any special package.

“There were expectations that state could get some special assistance/ package to overcome its backwardness. But in national perspective, the budget is promising and will give boost to infrastructure development,” said Arun Agarwal, president , BIA.

BCCI president P K Agarwal said, “There were expectations that Bihar would got some special incentives or assistance.”