“THIS IS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT OF THE OPPOSITION LED BY CONGRESS TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION TO PEOPLE THAT NOTHING HAS BEEN GIVEN TO OUR STATES- THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS ALLEGATION
KRC TIMES National Bureau
New Delhi : Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha staged a walkout on Wednesday, just minutes after the session began, to protest against the “discriminatory” 2024 Union Budget. Earlier in the day, INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest outside the parliament, terming the Union Budget as discriminatory towards the opposition-governed states.
Responding to the allegations of discrimination against opposition-ruled states, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the government, stating that if a particular state is not mentioned in the speech, it does not imply that government programs do not reach those states.
“In every budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state of this country…The Cabinet had taken a decision to set up a port on Vadavan. But Maharashtra’s name was not taken in the budget yesterday. Does this mean that Maharashtra feels ignored? If a particular state is named in the speech, does it mean that programs of GOI don’t go to these states?” the Union Finance Minister asked.
“This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition led by Congress to give the impression to people that nothing has been given to our states. This is an outrageous allegation,” she added.
Meanwhile, Congress president and the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, hit back at the government, doubling down that the budget as being crafted solely to appease a select few and to “save the chair.”
“I want to emphasise that the budget presented yesterday did not benefit any state. The plates of all states remained empty except for two,” he said.
“Yeh kursi bachane ke liye yeh sab hua hai… We have received nothing. We will condemn it and INDIA bloc parties will protest from Kanyakumari to Kashmir…How will development happen if there is no balance?” Kharge remarked, prior to staging the opposition’s walkout.
After the opposition walkout, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar criticised their conduct, claiming that if disruption is weaponized as a political strategy, democracy will be seriously threatened.
