New Delhi: Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman sparred on Wednesday (July 24) after the Congress MP accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of favouring its allies in the Union budget presented on Tuesday.
Kharge said that the budget had ignored all states except Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, ruled by two of the BJP’s key allies in parliament. Sitharaman countered by saying that all states never found a mention in previous budgets including those that were presented during the Congress-led UPA governments.
“The budget that was presented yesterday, no state got anything in the budget. Sabke thali khali aur sirf do ke thali mein pakoda and jalebi (Everyone’s plate is empty, and in the plate of two states there are pakora and jalebi),” said Kharge.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fell short of a majority on its own. Janata Dal (United), BJP’s alliance partner in Bihar, with 12 Lok Sabha seats, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in power in Andhra Pradesh, with 16 seats, are crucial allies for the BJP-led NDA government.
The opposition had termed the budget a “kursi bachao budget” after Sitharaman announced projects worth Rs 15,000 crore and around Rs 60,000 in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
“Apart from these two states no other state got anything. Not Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh or Delhi or Odisha. How many should I count? I have never seen such a budget. This is only to save the government,” said Kharge in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
“I thought that she [Sitharaman] has come from Karnataka, our expectation was that we would get the most. We will condemn this and protest against this. All INDIA parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari will protest,” he said.
As Rajya Sabha chairperson and vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar intervened to allow the finance minister to speak, Kharge said that Sitharaman was an “expert”.
“Mata ji bolne mein expert hai. I condemn this. Wherever opposition parties have won, or people have rejected them, those states have got nothing. If there is no balance how will there be development? All opposition parties condemn this budget.”
As Dhankhar gave the floor to Sitharaman to respond, opposition parties staged a walkout only to return a few minutes later as the finance minister was responding.
In her response, Sitharaman said that the budget speech does not include a mention of all states.
“Congress party has been in power for so many years in this country. They have presented so many budgets. They would know that in every budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state of this country.
Sitharaman said that as an example she had not named Maharashtra in her interim budget speech in February or the Union budget presented on Tuesday.
“For example, the Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in June, had taken a decision to set up a port on Vadhavan in Maharashtra. Did Maharashtra get ignored because I did not name Maharashtra? More than Rs 76,000 crores have been announced for that. Maharashtra’s name wasn’t mentioned in the Vote on Account Budget in February, nor was it taken yesterday. Does it mean that Maharashtra got ignored? I can take the name of so many other different states.”
Sitharaman accused the Congress and the opposition of giving an impression to the people that the budget had only favoured two states.
“If a particular state is not named in the speech, does it mean that schemes and programs of Government of India, the externally aided assistance which we get from the World Bank, ADB and other such institutions don’t go to these states? They go as per the routine. As per the expenditure statement item-wise mentions this. This is a deliberate attempt of the opposition parties led by the Congress to give an impression that nothing is being given to our states and only to two states. I would challenge the Congress party for all the budget speeches that they have delivered – have they named all the states of the country? This is an outrageous allegation.”
Opposition MPs who had returned to the House chanted slogans while MPs from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP of ignoring West Bengal in the budget. Sitharaman then accused the TMC in turn for not implementing central schemes in the state.
“Yesterday, the TMC questioned the Budget saying nothing has been given to West Bengal. Let me just highlight the fact that several schemes given by Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years have not been implemented in West Bengal. Bengal should correct its course,” she said.
Earlier, when the opposition had walked out, Dhankhar said that “democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponised.”
“Hon’ble Members, 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,” he said.
“..I cannot persuade myself but to take serious exception to this unwholesome practice adopted by a senior member, leader of the opposition. I will call upon leaders of the parties to soul-search..”
Dhankhar added that 20 hours had been allotted for the discussion on the budget and all members will be given time to respond in their speeches.
