INDIA up in arms against 'discriminatory' Budget

New Delhi, NT Bureau: The Opposition INDIA bloc parties led by the Congress walked out of both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, protesting against the Union Budget for allegedly ignoring most states except Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

The Opposition has accused the BJP of appeasing its coalition partners in the National Democratic Alliance, with the help of whom it came to power after the Lok Sabha elections this year.

As part of the Budget, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced financial support and several infrastructure projects for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

The BJP formed the government at the Centre with the help of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (United) and Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu Desam Party, among other members of its National Democratic Alliance, after having fallen short of the majority mark in the polls.

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "This is 'satta bachao budget', 'badla lo budget'. More than 90% people of the country have been isolated with this budget. Modi government is focussed only on saving the BJP government."

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said. "We all were demanding that farmers should get legal guarantee for MSP but the support price is given to the alliance partners who are saving their govt, rather than the farmers. The government could not take any concrete step regarding inflation. Uttar Pradesh did not get anything."

On Wednesday, protesting Trinamool Congress MPs alleged that West Bengal had been neglected in the “anti-people” Budget. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, "The concept of a budget has already been destroyed by this year's Union Budget. They have completely discriminated against most states. So the general sentiment of the INDIA bloc meeting was that we have to protest against this."

Soon after this, the Opposition MPs walked out from the Rajya Sabha. However, they returned after Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar gave a chance to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to respond to Kharge’s comments.

Sitharaman said that the allegations by the Opposition were “outrageous”. The BJP leader said that Opposition parties made a deliberate attempt to give an impression that “nothing has been given to our states, it’s only been given to two states”.

Also, Congress chief ministers will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27.