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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Congress leaders, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, led the demonstration, joined by MPs from the TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and the Left.
NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc, led by Congress, staged protests inside and outside Parliament today, alleging discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the recently unveiled Union Budget 2024-25.
Congress leaders, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, led the demonstration, joined by MPs from the TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and the Left.
The protests followed a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, where it was decided that Congress chief ministers would boycott the upcoming NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal criticized the budget as “completely antithetical to Constitutional principles” and said, “We will not participate in an event that is solely designed to hide the true, discriminatory colours of this regime.”
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting her seventh consecutive budget, faced criticism for prioritising NDA allies Bihar and Andhra Pradesh while allegedly neglecting opposition-ruled states. In the budget, Bihar was promised development of expressways and a power plant, while Andhra Pradesh was slated for infrastructure projects, including capital development support.
Rahul Gandhi questioned the exclusion of farmers from his office, saying, “This government’s attitude is discriminatory. They need to answer why these farmers were not allowed in.”
Opposition leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the budget allocations. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called it “deceptive,” stating, “This Budget is anti-people; no one has got justice. They have talked about special packages, but special status has not been given.”
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the focus on NDA allies, remarking, “We were all demanding that farmers should get MSP, but the support price is given to the alliance partners who are saving their government.”
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Union Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the budget, arguing that it lays a strong foundation for ‘atmanirbhar’ Bharat, with the government aiming to make India a developed nation by 2047.
The budget introduced changes to the tax regime, including increasing the standard deduction and revising tax slabs. It also proposed a month’s salary as a Provident Fund contribution for first-time employees and raised the exemption limit for capital gains on certain financial assets.
The INDIA bloc’s protest highlighted concerns about federalism and fairness, with MPs carrying placards reading, ‘We want India budget, not NDA budget’ and ‘NDA betrays India in Budget.’
As the Monsoon Session continues, the opposition’s stance on the budget underscores growing tensions over perceived regional imbalances in government spending.
