Rautahat, September 26:

Finance minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has accused political parties of criticising the budget for gaining cheap popularity.

He said criticisms levelled against the budget were baseless.

Inaugurating a three-day free health camp organised in Bishrampur Village Development Committee here, he said people-oriented budget presented by the Maoist-led government will keep politics of other parties at bay.

“The CPN-Maoist will not be disheartened though conspiracies are being hatched to confuse people by criticising the budget.”

He claimed that the CPN-Maoist was committed to working for the underprivileged. The finance minister said budget had prioritised education, health and employment sectors.

He said lion’s share of the budget had been allocated for the poor, Dalits and other underprivileged groups.

He said the government would provide relief to families of martyrs immediately after Dashain.

Saying that his party will not give up the ideological struggle, he said the government was working to make Nepal prosperous.

He said the CPN-Maoist was committed to uplifting living standards of farmers across the country.