Discrimination is writ large over the Budget: Congress MP Manish Tewari

Jul 24, 2024

New Delhi [India], July 24 : Congress MP Manish Tewari, taking a jibe at the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) government claims of no discrimination in the Union Budget, said he had to recheck the meaning of 'discrimination' in the dictionary.
Tewari also claimed that "discrimination is writ large over the Budget"
"If there is no discrimination in the Budget then I will have to go and check the meaning of the word 'discrimination' in the dictionary once again. Discrimination is writ large over the Budget, said MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday.
"It's a Budget which is indicative of the coalition compulsions of the current NDA-BJP government. As I said yesterday, it's a classical case, as the English proverb says, of the tail wagging the dog," he added.
Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also 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 that 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 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.
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.