New Delhi: The Lok Sabha saw a dramatic exchange between the opposition and the treasury benches on Monday, July 29, during the discussion on the Union budget as the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped repeatedly from taking the names of businessmen Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani during his speech, while Sansad TV and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla did not let him show the photograph of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman from the budget’s halwa ceremony.
In the past too, Gandhi’s references to both Ambani and Adani were expunged from parliamentary records.
In his speech, Gandhi drew a reference to the Mahabharat legend where Abhimanyu was killed in a chakravyuh, in which he was trapped and said that it was also known as a padmavyuh (lotus, the symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“In the 21st century, there is a new chakravyuh and that symbol is worn by the prime minister on his chest. What was done with Abhimanyu is being done with youth, women, farmers and MSMEs.”
Gandhi said that while there are thousands in a chakravyuh, it is controlled by six people.
“This chakravyuh is also controlled by six people; Modi, Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval and Adani and Ambani,” he said.
This led to strong protests from the treasury benches, and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said that deputy leader of Congress Gaurav Gogoi had given it in writing that those who are not members of the House will not be mentioned.
“If you want I will take out the names of NSA, Ambani and Adani,” said Gandhi as he continued his speech.
“My expectation was that this budget would weaken this ‘chakravyuh’. That this budget would help farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses. But the sole aim of the business is to strengthen this framework of big monopoly business, political monopoly that destroys the democratic structure and finally what one call the deep state or the agencies,” he said.
Gandhi said that while the middle class had earlier given their support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union budget had stabbed them both in the back and the chest, and once again referred to Adani and Ambani.
“Prior to this budget, the middle class would perhaps support Narendra Modi. During covid, when the prime minister asked the middle class to beat vessels, they did. When he said light up your mobile phones they did so. Now in this budget, you have stabbed the middle class once on their back and once in their chest. With the indexation you have stabbed them in the back and with the long-term capital gain tax you have stabbed them in the chest,” he said.
“You want India to remain in small boxes and the poor people of the country cannot dream. Only Adani and Ambani…,”
As Gandhi once again took the names of Adani and Ambani, Birla interjected and reminded him of Gogoi’s letter. Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju then rose to make a point but Gandhi refused to yield leading to loud protests from the treasury benches.
“The leader of the opposition does not know the rules. We all abide by the rules. LoP by challenging the Speaker has lowered the dignity of this House,” said Rijiju.
Gandhi said that he would rather refer to Adani Ambani as A1 and A1 and alleged that the Union minister has “orders from the top” to defend them.
“I understand that the minister has to defend A1 and A2. I will not make any such comments. He is permitted to defend them. It is a democracy. He is allowed to defend A1 and A2.”
Rijiju said that he had simply risen from his seat to make a point about the rules of the House.
“He said he will not yield. The rule is if we ask for time, to yield is the tradition. I did not speak by force. I took permission from the Speaker but you did not yield. That is when I thought I should say, you disturbed prime minister’s speech throughout his speech. Today we are asking you to yield but you are yielding. This is a tradition to respect each other,” said Rijiju.
During Modi’s speech in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address last month, the opposition had sloganeered through the course of his nearly two-hour-long speech demanding justice for Manipur, which has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3, 2023.
Gandhi responded to Rijiju saying that if the prime minister starts yielding to the opposition, then the latter will too.
“If when we raise our hand and ask for the prime minister and the ministers to yield, and they yield then we will yield every time. The moment you yield I guarantee you we will yield,” he said.
‘Desh ka halwa’
Heated scenes were seen when Gandhi showed a photograph of the traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony, which is customarily done a day before the budget is presented. As Gandhi sought to show the photograph of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with officers of the finance ministry, Sansad TV showed Birla instead of Gandhi every time he raised the photograph. Gandhi alleged that the cameras turned away from him to Birla every time he raised the photo, but Birla said that posters were not allowed.
After he was not allowed to show the photograph from the Halwa ceremony in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi posted the same on his X (formerly Twitter). Below is the reaction of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Photo: X (Twitter)/@RahulGandhi
“We will not let you show posters, this is not right,” said Birla. Gandhi then explained the photograph to reiterate his pitch for a nationwide caste census.
“Budget ka halwa’ is being distributed in this photo. I can’t see one OBC or Adivasi or a Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73% hai hi nahi. You are eating the halwa and the rest of the country is not getting it. Twenty officers prepared the budget we have found out. I have their names I will give them if you want. India’s halwa has been distributed by 20 people. Of this, only one is minority and one OBC. And in this photo there are none. They were not allowed in this photo. I wanted the budget to take up the caste census. 95% India wants caste census,” he said.
During his speech, Gandhi also reiterated his pitch for a legal guarantee for MSP and said that the INDIA alliance would get it passed in the House.
