Battlelines appeared drawn in the Lok Sabha over the Union Budget, with the Opposition terming allocations to States where NDA allies governed as an “insurance” to shore up a fragile coalition under the BJP, and the Treasury benches asserting that the budget was one that addressed all sections and regions.
Parliament Monsoon session, day 3 | updates
Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Kumari Selja termed the budget a collection of “jumlas (insincere promises)“ cautioning NDA members Nitish Kumar and N. Chandrababu Naidu that they may celebrate today for getting a large share but that it doesn’t take long for time to change.
Related Stories
“I would like to caution these two States... Nitishji has been with us for a long time, serving in 10th Lok Sabha term, and Naiduji is also very experienced. Do not be swayed by their (government’s) words. It may seem today that they have given a lot, but it doesn’t take long for the tide to turn. Therefore, I want to caution them (JDU and TDP) as well. They may celebrate today, but it doesn’t take long for times to change,” she said. She criticised the budget as “kursi bachao Budget” (a budget to save the chair).
She also pointed out the declining trust in the government, “People do not trust this budget, which is why the number of seats fell from 303 to 240.”
Editorial | Shuffling the deck: On the Union Budget 2024-25
This theme was taken up at length by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, who said that nobody was calling this government Modi 3.0, “not even the Finance Minister when she presented the Budget.” Speaking about the NDA coalition, he said, “It is so uncertain and fragile that it can implode anytime.”
He repeatedly used the phrase “waqt badal raha hai (time is changing)“ on the government’s reduced numbers and its overwhelming majority in the last Lok Sabha being reduced to a coalition, something, he added, that was demonstrated by the budget. “After yesterday, one thing is clear, coalition means appeasement and compensation.”
He accused the Modi government of depriving West Bengal and other parts of the country from various benefits, including MNERGA and housing scheme. “Since you have failed the defeat us politically in West Bengal, you are now conspiring against the people of the state,” he alleged.
Mr. Banerjee claimed that “eccentric decisions” taken by the government like the “unplanned lockdown”, farms laws and demonetisation led to deaths, loss of jobs and economic despair among others. When Speaker Om Birla asked him to stick to more contemporary issues, Mr. Bannerjee pointed out that while demonetisation had taken place as early as 2016, the BJP was guilty of going back more than 60 years to pick on former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s policies.
Dayanidhi Maran of the DMK launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led government. “Lakhs of crores of public money were spent to promote Modi ka guaratee before Lok Sabha polls. After the election, Modi ka guarantee is replaced with Modi ka insurance. Premium is being paid by the people to ensure he continues as PM,” he said.
BJP MP from Tripura Biplab Deb, fielded by his party in the debate claimed that the NDA would remain in government till 2047 and “will take India to newer heights”.
He said the interests of all States and all sections have been taken care of. An additional ₹4.82 lakh crore share has been allocated for the States, he added. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee is still there, it is there in the budget also,” he said.
Mr. Deb also hit out at the Congress and other opposition parties for alleging that the Constitution is under threat. He said the Congress invoked Article 356 70 times to attack the Constitution.
“Why was the Emergency imposed, it was imposed because of one person and one family. The Emergency was imposed for one person — Indira Gandhi... now they carry the copy of Constitution,” he said.
“We will do 400 paar, there will be a government of BJP and NDA till 2047 and people will give a befitting reply to the Opposition,” he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Birendra Singh pointed out that despite the fact that Mr. Modi represented Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, there was no mention of the State in Ms Sitharaman’s budget speech. Mr. Singh also called for a rollback of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme.
