NEW DELHI: The BJP today 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 said 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.

SP joins oppn in criticising Budget

Samajwadi Party, which is extending support to the government, today joined the opposition in ridiculing the General Budget, terming it as "sour", "tepid" and "unimpressive".

RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who had criticised the Rail Budget two days back despite his association with the ruling UPA, however, struck a conciliatory tone and described the Union budget as a "balanced" one.

SP, BJP, Left parties, JD(S) and BJD were critical of the budget even as the Congress hailed it.

"While the Rail Budget was sweet and sour, this budget is only sour," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said while reacting to the Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament.

He particularly said farmers and rural areas have been neglected in the budget.

"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.

He said he would have expected the government to list steps it was taking to fight global recession but the budget had nothing on it.

Sinha said the fiscal deficit has gone up and there was  no boldness shown by the Finance Minister as focus on infrastructure projects like roads, airports is missing.