Budget 2019 is government second surgical strike: Ram Vilas Paswan

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan Friday dubbed the budget as the government's "second surgical strike", saying the first used bullets against the country's external enemies while this will use ballots to decimate the ruling NDA's rivals in the general election.

"This is not budget but surgical strike. The first used bullets to neutralise the country's external enemies. The second surgical strike will use ballots to decimate our rivals," the Lok Janshakti Party president told reporters, referring to the attack on terror launch pads across the border in Kashmir.

He also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come back to power with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning more than 400 seats in the coming Lok Sabha election.

Hailing the prime minister, he said the budget has provided relief to farmers, income taxpayers and significantly enhanced expenditure for scheduled castes, tribes and the poor.

"There cannot be a better budget than this. Our rivals will be left speechless," he said.