On Wednesday, July 24, the INDIA bloc staged a protest within the Parliament premises, voicing concerns over alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the previous day. Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, President Mallikarjun Kharge, and several MPs, along with leaders from TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and the Left, participated in the protest. They gathered on the steps leading up to the Makar Dwar of Parliament, holding placards that read, “We want India budget, not NDA budget” and “NDA betrays India in Budget.”Oppositions outcry“This Budget is anti-people, no one has got justice. They have talked about special packages but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and an injustice to the people,” said Mallikarjun Kharge. The decision to protest was made during a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders at the Congress presidents residence on Tuesday evening, July 23.#WATCH | On Oppositions protest against discriminatory Budget, FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha says,”…In every Budget, you dont get an opportunity to name every state of this country...The Cabinet had taken a decision to set up a port on Vadavan. But Maharashtras name… pic.twitter.com/KSEATuMNpf— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024In addition, Congress chief ministers announced they would boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Sitharamans defenseFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, dismissing the oppositions allegations as “outrageous.” She specifically addressed the claims that the budget favoured Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, states ruled by key NDA partners. “In every Budget, you dont get an opportunity to name every state of this country... The Cabinet had taken a decision to set up a port on Vadavan. But Maharashtras name was not included in the budget yesterday. Does this mean that Maharashtra feels ignored If a particular state is named in the speech, does it mean that programmes of the government dont go to these states This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition led by Congress to give the impression to people that nothing has been given to other states. This is an outrageous allegation,” she said.#WATCH | #UnionBudget24 | Delhi: AAP MP Raghav Chadha says, Almost everyone is disappointed with this budget except two persons, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu... All the economic reports conclude that income is not rising but the prices are rising in the country. The… pic.twitter.com/ShzI2xKWN8— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024Raghav Chadhas critiqueAAP MP Raghav Chadha also expressed dissatisfaction with the budget. “Almost everyone is disappointed with this budget except two people, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu... All the economic reports conclude that income is not rising but prices are rising in the country. The government has paralysed the investors of the nation... This budget has angered all sections of society. The penalising provisions brought into this budget should be ended,” he remarked.#WATCH | #UnionBudget24 | Delhi: AAP MP Raghav Chadha says, Almost everyone is disappointed with this budget except two persons, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu... All the economic reports conclude that income is not rising but the prices are rising in the country. The… pic.twitter.com/ShzI2xKWN8— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024The oppositions unified front against the Union Budget highlights significant discontent and sets the stage for continued political contention in the coming days.
