PTI
 
New Delhi, Jul 6: BJP on Monday dubbed the general budget as timid, tepid and unimpressive while the Congress hailed finance minister Pranab Mukherjee for doing an "excellent job".

"I do not see any great message in the budget. It is timid, tepid and unimpressive," senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said, "The Budget is a very judicious mix of short term stimulus, medium term prudence and long term structural reforms."

"The finance minister has done an excellent job in times of global economic recession as no taxes have been imposed on the people," he told reporters outside Parliament House soon after the Budget was presented.

Asked why the markets have not reacted positively, Tewari said the finance minister does not look only at the market while presenting the budget.

On the fiscal deficit, the spokesman said that this has gone up due to the stimulus packages given in December last year to fight the economic recession.

Tewari also hailed the decision to bring transparency in electoral funding.