Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, accusing them of “misleading” the public about budgetary allocations as she responded to queries in the Lok Sabha. Following the Minister’s response, the Lok Sabha passed the Union Budget for 2024-25 and the Budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Rajya Sabha continued discussion on the Budget, while concerns over the Kerala landslides and Jharkhand train accident resonated in both Houses.
Lok Sabha
The Lower House approved the Budget of the Union Government and the Budget of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with a voice vote. Speaker Om Birla informed the House that the discussion went on for over 27 hours with 125 members participating.
In her reply to the debate, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the allocations for agriculture and minorities, addressing the Opposition’s accusations of skewed budgetary allocations favouring States ruled by BJP allies. She also criticised the jibes directed at the ‘halwa ceremony,’ her JNU education, and the country’s rankings on global indices.
Besides Budget, the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Express and the landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad dominated the day’s proceedings. Leader of Opposition in the House and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi requested for an enhanced compensation for the families of those who lost their lives. He emphasised the urgent need to map landslide-prone areas and develop an action plan for ecologically fragile zones.
During Zero Hour, Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay raised the issue of a sharp rise in railway accidents in the country. Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav also referred to the derailment incident when the House was discussing the Budget. The SP leader remarked that rail accidents and paper leaks were competing to outdo each other under the current administration.
A heated exchange took place between the SP leader and BJP MP Anurag Thakur over the Agnipath scheme, with Akhilesh Yadav alleging a lack of employment opportunities for Agniveers. In response, Mr. Thakur invoked the military legacy of his home State Himachal Pradesh to defend the scheme. The exchange prompted uproar in the House. The Hamirpur MP later clashed with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, questioning the Congress’s stance on the caste census. His remarks on caste led to an uproar, with Congress members entering the Well of the House.
Later in the day, the House took up discussion on the Railway Budget. Many Opposition MPs raised demands for trains and rail infrastructure in their respective constituencies while BJP MPs lauded the Rs 2.62 lakh crore allocation for railways. Some questioned the recent rise in train accidents and lack of safety features. The House was then adjourned for the day at 8 p.m.
Rajya Sabha
The Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Wayanad landslides dominated the proceedings in the Upper House. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar initially declined the request from Kerala MPs to speak on the issue, stating that it was a time for expressing solidarity rather than making political statements. This led to loud protests and the Chairman eventually relented.
Members of the Congress and Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) demanded that the incident be declared a “national emergency” and sought financial assistance from the Centre. MoS Home Affairs Nityanand Rai later made a statement, informing the House that the Centre was providing all possible assistance to the Kerala government.
This was followed by Zero Hour, during which Congress MP Vivek Tankha raised concerns about a shortage of NCERT textbooks, while TMC’s Dola Sen highlighted the issue of renaming West Bengal to Bangla.
Following Question Hour, the Rajya Sabha resumed its discussion of the Budget. While the Opposition continued their criticism, the Treasury benches steadfastly supported and praised the Budget.
RJD’s Manoj Jha asserted that the Budget did not tackle income inequality and termed it a “misuse of a sociological and anthropological instrument.” Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K. Mani said the Budget neglected Kerala’s needs and failed to provide relief for natural calamities.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and Leader of the House JP Nadda lauded the Budget for focusing on “inclusive growth, sustainable development and stressing on economic resilience”.
(Compiled by Saptaparno Ghosh, Sruthi Darbhamulla, Suchitra Karthikeyan, Sukanya Ray, Sumeda and Yohaan Ashish Varghese))
Published - July 30, 2024 10:37 pm IST
