New Delhi: The leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc demonstrated in the Parliament premises on Wednesday against the Union Budget, which Finance Minister Sitharaman had presented the day before.
They alleged that the Budget was “discriminatory” against the opposition-ruled states. Holding posters, the leaders raised slogans against the government, saying that the Budget was for “kursi Bachao” only.
The protesting leaders alleged that the budget had little for the states ruled by the opposition and was mostly focused on Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena(UBT), and other MPs were seen participating in the protest.
The bloc’s decision to protest was taken at a meeting on Tuesday after the Union Finance Minister tabled the budget.
As part of the protest, Congress Chief Ministers will also boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also has said that he would not attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting.
“This government’s attitude is completely antithetical to Constitutional principles. We will not participate if it is solely designed to hide the discriminatory colours of this regime,” Venugopal alleged.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Budget for 2024-25, marking her seventh consecutive budget presentation and surpassing former Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s record. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later posted on social media: “The ‘#BudgetForViksitBharat’ ensures inclusive growth, benefiting every segment of society and paving the way for a developed India.”
–IANS
