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Budget 2024: Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha over ‘neglect’ of States; Nirmala Sitharaman hits back
"I would challenge the Congress party for all the Budget speeches they have delivered, that in each of the Budget speeches, have they named every State of the country?" the Finance Minister asked.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar listens to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The INDIA bloc parties, led by the Congress, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on July 24, in protest against all States, except two, being "ignored" in the Union Budget, an allegation termed “outrageous” by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who said all the States never found a mention in any of the previous Budgets, including those presented by the Congress.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, party General Secretary K. C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC MP Dola Sen were seen participating in the protest.
After Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected notices under Rule 267 that called for the suspension of the listed agenda to take up the issue, Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mr. Kharge said the Union Budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year provided funds and schemes for only two States — Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. He said, “All other States did not find any mention,” terming the Budget a “kursi-bachao” document.
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Mr. Kharge said the Congress and the other parties in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) "condemn" this discrimination. As Mr. Dhankhar gave the Finance Minster floor to respond, Mr. Kharge led the Opposition bloc out of the House, saying they were walking out in protest.
As the MPs belonging to the Opposition parties returned to the House, the Finance Minister said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had raised questions on July 23 about nothing being given to West Bengal in the Budget, but the fact is that several schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years have not been implemented in the State.
Her statement was met with vociferous opposition from the TMC members, who said the BJP-led Centre owes ₹1 lakh crore to West Bengal.
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Mr. Dhankhar said 20 hours have been allocated for a discussion on the General Budget and the MPs as well as the Finance Minister will get adequate time to raise issues and respond accordingly.
We will protest from Kanyakumari to Kashmir: Mallikarjun Kharge
In the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Kharge questioned Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Union Budget and claimed that the plates of all States except Bihar and Andhra Pradesh were empty in the Budget allocation.
Mr. Kharge said that barring the States ruled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, several major States, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have received nothing in the Budget.
"I will not go into the argument of 267. In the Budget that was presented yesterday, nobody got anything. Sabke thali khali aur do ke thali mai pakoda aur jalebi. Yeh do States chor kar kuch nahi mila kuch. Neither Tamil Nadu, Kerala nor Karnataka got anything. Neither Maharashtra nor Punjab or Rajasthan and neither Chhattisgarh. Even Delhi did not receive anything nor did Odisha. I have not seen this kind of Budget until now. This Budget has been presented only to keep some people happy and it has all been done save their chairs, 'Kursi bachane ke liye' kiya gaya. We condemn this Budget and protest against it. Meri toh apeksha aaise thi ki sabse jayada budget se hamai (Karnataka) ko milega. But we got nothing. All the INDIA alliance parties will protest. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we will protest," Mr. Kharge said.
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar interrupted and said, "Let Union Finance Minister speak," to which Mr. Kharge said, "Mataji bolne mai toh expert hai mujhe maloom hai (she is expert in speaking, I am aware of that)".
Mr. Dhankar further interrupted the two leaders and said, "Yeh mataji nahi yeh toh aapki beti ke barabar hai." Mr. Kharge further said, "I condemn all this. In the States where the Opposition parties have been elected and you have been neglected. You have not provided anything to them in the Budget. How will development happen if there is no balance? I condemn this and all the parties condemn this type of attitude."
After Mr. Kharge walked out of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar said that democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponised as a political strategy.
"Discussion on the Budget was listed today and I gave the floor to the Leader of the Opposition in expectation that rules will be followed. I find it has been used as a ploy and a strategy. Hon'ble Members, I strongly plead with you. Democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponised as a political strategy as has been done now," Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said.
"Parliament is a citadel of Constitutional and democratic values and liberties. I am aghast as a matter of fact when during the day and days following, we will have ample opportunity to reflect on the Budget presented by the Hon'ble Finance Minister, there was absolutely no occasion or justification, even remotely, to not avail the facility accorded by me for this purpose. I cannot persuade myself but to take serious exception to this unwholesome practice adopted by a senior Member, the Leader of the Opposition. I will call upon leaders of the parties to soul-search and my reflections about Rule 267 every day of the sitting I get a number of requests, it is being taken as a routine exercise as a habit. In spite of my serious observation yesterday no focus has taken place, I have again uploaded on the portal," Mr. Dhankar added.
Outrageous allegation: Finance Minister
The Finance Minister lashed out at the Opposition’s claim that the Budget was ‘discriminatory’ and said that it was an ‘outrageous allegation’ and a deliberate attempt by the Opposition parties led by the Congress to give the people the wrong impression that their States were not allocated funds or schemes. FM Sitharaman reacted after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge made claims that the Budget was discriminatory towards the States of the country.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the FM said, “It is unfortunate that the Opposition, particularly senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, stood up to say what he heard of the Budget yesterday. Now that the Leader of the Opposition raised issues on the Budget, which was presented and tabled in the house yesterday. Just to the point he raised, I have not named many States and only spoken of two States. There are a few points I would like to make here as to what happens in a speech. The Congress party has been in power for a very long time in this country and they have presented so many Budgets that they would know clearly that in every Budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state of this country,” she said.
The Finance Minister said she did not name many States either in the Interim Budget presented in February, ahead of the general election or in the full Budget tabled in Parliament on July 23, but that does not mean that government schemes are not working for the States.
She cited the example of Maharashtra, which was not named in either of the Budgets, and said that did not prevent the Union Cabinet from approving the ₹76,000-crore Vadhavan port project in Dahanu in the State last month.
"Did Maharashtra get ignored because I did not mention the name of Maharashtra? (An amount of) ₹76,000 crore has been announced for that project," she said. Ms. Sitharaman said she can cite several other States that have got major projects.
"If the speech does not mention the name of a particular State, does it mean that the schemes of the Government of India, the programmes of the Government of India, the externally-aided assistance, which we obtain from the World Bank, ADB, AIIB and institutions such as these do not go to these States? They go as per a routine," she said.
“The expenditure statement of the government gives out the item-wise allocation,” the Finance Minister pointed out. “This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition parties, led by the Congress, to give an impression to people that ‘oh, nothing has been given to our States, it has only been given to two States.”
"I would challenge the Congress party for all the Budget speeches they have delivered, that in each of the Budget speeches, have they named every State of the country?" she asked. "This is an outrageous allegation", which is "not acceptable," she added.
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