Opp claims Budget discrimination, BJP says Govt has all states in mind

Initiating the discussion on the Budget, Congress MP Selja Kumari said that she is thankful to the Finance Minister for “showing a big heart and reading the Congress manifesto” — a reiteration of the party’s claim that the government has borrowed its ideas.

“We prepared it with a lot of hard work… They kept their guarantees on the side and used our manifesto. What do I say to this Budget? Whether to call it Kursi Bachao Budget or shaken-up Budget or Jumla Budget? We see jumlas in this,” she said.

“A lot of kindness has been shown towards two states. It doesn’t seem a lot has been given to other states… I remember that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a Chief Minister, he used to talk about cooperative federalism. That word has been removed from the government and BJP’s vocabulary,” she said.

She advised JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to not go by what the BJP says. “It doesn’t take them time to look the other way,” the Sirsa MP said.

Referring to the upcoming polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and J&K, she said: “It seems the government has already given up. These states were not mentioned (in the Budget).”

BJP MP from Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb countered the Congress MP, saying that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, a transparent economic system has been put in place.

“Selja ji was talking about two states. It is possible that Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are not in Congress account. It is in our account, and so are all the other states,” he said.

Praising the youth internship provision in the Budget, Deb said that through a portal, one crore youth will get a chance to do internships. “Modi’s guarantee is for internships to youths,” he said.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Union Budget reflects the government’s “economic mismanagement and financial recklessness”. He said the brakes of the Indian economy have fallen off but the government’s horn keeps getting louder.

“This underwhelming Budget is a woefully missed opportunity. After all, this was the government’s chance to prove to the citizens that after the colossal setback the BJP suffered in the recently concluded general election, the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister have actually listened to the people…. But once again they have let the people of India down,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

TDP MP Mathukumilli Bharat said he would like to remind the Opposition that when the UPA-II government came to power, it did not have the magic numbers. “Compared to then, we are much stronger now,” he said. Referring to the NDA alliance, he said, “We have all come together based on the needs of our respective states.”

“I would like to specifically appreciate the Finance Minister and Prime Minister for the support of Rs 15,000 crore for Amravati in the current financial year and the commitment for more in the coming years,” he said.

JD(U) member Dinesh Chandra Yadav said no one should have an objection if a state which is backward has received funds in the Budget. “Seeing the backwardness of the state, the allocation was given to Bihar, and we are grateful for that,” he said.

NCP (SP) member Supriya Sule said the Budget has failed to address the issues facing the country, including agrarian distress.

She also said the government should hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. “This is one more year after making them a UT against their wish… The honourable Home Minister had committed to this House that within a year, they will hold elections… I hope next year, they pass their own Budget in their own state,” said Sule.

Later, a remark by BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, against Opposition members led to an uproar. After Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, registered his protest, the Speaker informed the House that the remark has been expunged.