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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday alleged discrimination with opposition ruled states in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and said her speech mentioned projects for only two states.
Speaking briefly in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge, who is Leader of Opposition in the House, alleged such budget has never been presented and it has been done to save the BJP-led government, which is dependent on support of JD-U and TDP for its survival. "The budget that was presented yesterday, no state got anything...sakbi thali khali aur do thali mein pakora and jalebi (all plates empty and in two plates, there is pakora and jalebi)," he said referring to budget announcements concerning Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. "Apart from these two, no state got anything, Neither Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh....no state got anything, Delhi did not get, Odisha did not get, how many states should I count," Kharge said. "I have never seen such a budget and this has been done to please somebody, (kursi bachane ke liye sab hua hai) to save the chair. We condemn this, hold protest, all parties in INDIA alliance...," he added. With Sitharaman being Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Kharge said they had hoped that the state will get "maximum but got nothing". With Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asking Sitharaman to respond, Kharge said, "mataji is expert in speaking, I know it, I am keeping my views". The Chairman quipped that Sitharman was like Kharge's daughter in terms of age. "Aapke beti ke barabar hain..," he said. Kharge pointed out that it is wrong not to make allocations for states ruled by parties which are not allied to BJP. "The places where opposition parties came to power, where people have rejected you, have been deprived. If it is not balanced, how will we develop? Today if someone is with you, they may be against you tomorrow. This goes on. Hence I condemn this," the senior Congress leader said. The opposition INDIA bloc MPs held a protest in the Parliament complex on Wednesday against the Union Budget presented on Tuesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "Opposition virodhi kursi bachao Budget murdabad" slogans were raised by the INDIA bloc leaders as they protested holding placards. Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav and Dola Sen were among those who took part in the protest. Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure. (ANI)
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