Leaders of the INDIA bloc protested against the 2024 Union Budget in the Parliament complex on Wednesday, alleging discrimination against states governed by opposition parties.
Opposition party leaders, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other INDIA bloc MPs, protested outside Parliament, demanding equal treatment for all states.
'Opposition virodhi kursi bachao...Budget murda baad' slogans were raised by the protesting MPs who held placards such as 'We want India budget, not NDA budget' and 'NDA betrays India in Budget'.
"Many didn't get justice (in Union Budget). We are fighting for justice...This budget is just to satisfy their allies...They have given nothing to anyone," said Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, protesting the budget.
"This Budget is anti-people, no one has got justice. They have talked about special package but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people," Kharge added.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also came down on the budget, slamming the government for failing to take steps to reduce inflation. They snatched away jobs and are now talking of internships, he said.
"We were all demanding that farmers should get MSP, but the support price is given to the alliance partners who are saving their government rather than the farmers...The government could not take any concrete steps regarding inflation. Uttar Pradesh did not get anything. UP should have gotten a double benefit from the double-engine government. I think the people of Lucknow have angered the people of Delhi. Its result is visible in the budget. So what is the benefit of the double engine?" Akhilesh told reporters ahead of the protests.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said opposition-ruled states have been ignored in the budget and termed 2024 Union Budget as "PM Maharashtra Virodhi Yojana."
"This protest is against the discrimination in the budget. All the opposition-ruled states have been ignored... We witnessed 'PM Maharashtra Virodhi Yojana' in the budget yesterday. Maharashtra is the highest tax-paying state, yet we don't get our share in return," Chaturvedi said.
Terming it 'discriminatory' and 'Kursi-bachao', Congress leader Manicakm Tagore claimed the budget was done to save the BJP government.
"It's a discriminatory Budget. It's unfair for the states that are suffering. They are not able to get their share. Tamil Nadu had asked for flood relief, it was not given. There was no project for Telangana. Flood was there in Himachal, no relief was given. It is a discriminatory Budget towards the states not ruled by the BJP. It's a 'Kursi-bachao Budget'. It is just to save their government. Nothing is there. NRGS funds, education funds, education loan have been cut down. Middle-class is going to suffer. This government betrayed everybody," Tagore said.
Notably, the decision to protest was made during a meeting of the INDIA bloc parties at Kharge's residence on Tuesday evening.
Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Congress' deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, TMC leaders Derek O'Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, DMK's T R Baalu, JMM's Mahua Maji, AAP's Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh, and CPI(M)'s John Brittas, among others, had attended the meeting.
"The concept of a budget has already been destroyed by this year's Union Budget. They have completely discriminated against most of the states. So the general sentiment of the INDIA bloc meeting was that we have to protest against this," Venugopal had told reporters after the meeting.
Later, in a post on X, Venugopal had said, "The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, which completely goes against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must follow."
