Nirmala Sitharaman Defends 2024 Budget Amidst Opposition Protests in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, 24th July 2024: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the 2024 Budget on Wednesday amid protests from Opposition MPs, who claimed it was discriminatory. Addressing the Rajya Sabha, she asserted that the Budget did not overlook any state and accused the Congress-led Opposition of misleading the public.

Following her speech, Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha.

Sitharaman stated, “In every Budget, it’s not feasible to mention every state by name,” as Opposition MPs chanted slogans. She highlighted that the Union Cabinet had decided to establish a port in Vandhavan, Maharashtra’s Palghar district, which was not specifically mentioned in her Budget speech.

“Does this imply that Maharashtra feels neglected? If a state is not named, does it mean it won’t receive Government of India programs? This is a deliberate attempt by the Congress-led Opposition to create the false impression that their states have been ignored. These are outrageous claims,” she said.

The Opposition labelled the 2024 Budget as a “kursi bachao” (save the seat) initiative due to special projects announced for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, both allies of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Sitharaman responded to Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s earlier speech, in which he described the Budget as “discriminatory.”

Kharge had stated, “No state benefitted from the Budget except for two—most states received nothing while two states’ plates were filled with pakoras and jalebi,” provoking protests in the House.

Kharge continued outside Parliament, claiming the Budget was unfair and that Opposition MPs were fighting for justice. “This Budget is discriminatory. They (BJP) claim a special package for Bihar to build roads, but roads are built everywhere. This is deceptive,” he added.

Several Opposition MPs, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi, held a large protest outside Parliament, criticizing the Budget as “discriminatory.” They carried placards reading ‘We want an India budget, not an NDA budget’ and ‘NDA betrays India in Budget.’

In further protest, Congress chief ministers announced their decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27.