Parliament Session 2024 Highlights: A day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget, Parliament opened on a heated note Wednesday, with Opposition leaders protesting what they claim is discrimination against states governed by opposition parties. Eariler, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “The concept of the budget has already been destroyed by this year’s Union Budget. They have completely discriminated against most of the states. So the INDIA alliance meeting was held on how to oppose it.”
On Tuesday, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, rebuffed the Union Budget 2024-25, accusing the finance minister of making hollow promises. On the social media platform X, he tweeted, “Kursi Bachao Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets.”
Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: INDIA bloc MPs protests against Union Budget 2024 in Parliament. Follow Financial Express for all the Budget-related latest updates.
Congress leader K Suresh has accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of discriminating against Opposition party-ruled states in the Union Budget presented yesterday.
Suresh stated that many Chief Ministers chose not to attend the NITI Aayog meeting due to this perceived bias. “We decided to skip the NITI Aayog meeting because the government and Finance Minister have shown clear discrimination against Opposition party-ruled states. Only two states have benefitted from this Budget. The NDA appears focused solely on preserving their government,” he said.
The party plans to stage a demonstration to protest what they describe as discrimination in the Budget and will also respond to the Supreme Court‘s verdict on NEET.
A general discussion on the Union Budget and the budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the fiscal year 2024-25 will be held in the Rajya Sabha later on Wednesday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented both budgets on July 23.
This discussion is crucial as the Union Budget outlines the government’s revenue and expenditure plans for the upcoming fiscal year, shaping the country’s financial direction. Meanwhile, the budget for Jammu and Kashmir is significant given the developmental needs of the Union Territory.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday called the Union Budget 2024 a “disappointment” over BJP’s unfulfilled promise to grant a special category status to Odisha.
Patnaik, whose party was recently ousted by the BJP in the Assembly elections, has alleged that BJP failed to fulfil its promise of granting special status to Odisha, despite mentioning it in their manifesto before the 2024 state assembly elections.
Read more: Budget 2024: Naveen Patnaik ‘disappointed’ over no special status for Odisha
Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the Centre, calling the Budget a “Kursi Bachao Budget.”
“Kursi Bachao” Budget.
– Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states.
– Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian.
– Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 23, 2024
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, presented her seventh Union Budget, the first since this year’s Lok Sabha elections. The budget introduced a series of measures aimed at addressing the challenges faced by unemployed youth, small businesses, and the middle class. Additionally, it focused on strengthening the ruling NDA coalition by supporting multiple investment projects in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.