The Union Budget 2024, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has sparked significant controversy, drawing a clear line between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Opposition parties have accused the budget of being discriminatory, claiming it favors NDA allies while neglecting other states.
Opposition Bloc Meeting
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Gathering at Kharge's Residence
On Tuesday evening, a meeting of the INDIA bloc parties was convened at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, to discuss their response to the Union Budget 2024.
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Key Attendees
The meeting saw the participation of several prominent leaders:
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Congress: Rahul Gandhi, Pramod Tiwari, Gaurav Gogoi, KC Venugopal, and Jairam Ramesh
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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): Sharad Pawar
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Shiv Sena (UBT): Sanjay Raut
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Trinamool Congress (TMC): Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee
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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK): T R Baalu
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Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM): Mahua Maji
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh
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Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)): John Brittas
Key Points of Criticism from the Opposition
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Congress
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge described the budget as a "copycat" budget that offers superficial solutions for critical issues such as youth unemployment, farmers' distress, and rural wages. He criticized the lack of substantial schemes for marginalized groups, including Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, minorities, and the middle class. Kharge accused the government of prioritizing capitalist interests over public welfare, highlighting inadequate spending on agriculture, health, and education.
Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments, dubbing the budget a "Kursi Bachao Budget" (Save the Chair Budget). He accused the government of making hollow promises to appease allies at the expense of other states and criticized the budget for benefiting cronies without providing relief to common citizens.
Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal described the budget as discriminatory and dangerous, asserting that it undermines federal principles. He highlighted the perceived bias against states with non-BJP governments and criticized the budget for being anti-federal and against constitutional values.
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Trinamool Congress
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the budget "politically biased and anti-poor," accusing the Centre of depriving her state. TMC leaders labeled it an "Andhra-Bihar Budget," reflecting their view that the budget allocations were made with political motives to benefit NDA allies.
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Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav criticized the budget for ignoring the interests of youth and farmers, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. He argued that the budget's focus on Bihar and Andhra Pradesh was driven by the BJP's political compulsion to sustain its government.
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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
The NCP accused the budget of favoring NDA allies in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh while neglecting states like Maharashtra. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto expressed disappointment over the lack of budgetary support for Maharashtra, predicting a backlash in the upcoming Assembly polls.
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Shiv Sena (UBT)
Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) criticized the budget for excluding Maharashtra, despite it being a major contributor to the national exchequer. He accused the BJP of neglecting Maharashtra to favor states that support its political interests.
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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
BSP Chief Mayawati expressed disappointment with the budget, stating it offered little hope for the poor, unemployed, farmers, women, laborers, and marginalized communities. She criticized the government for failing to address critical issues such as poverty, unemployment, and inflation.
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
Delhi Finance Minister Atishi criticized the budget for failing to allocate any funds to Delhi despite its significant contribution to the national tax revenue. She accused the BJP-led Centre of ignoring Delhi's needs and failing to support the city's development.
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Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Kerala's Finance Minister K N Balagopal described the budget as a political exercise aimed at saving the NDA coalition. He criticized the budget for its anti-people and anti-nation proposals and accused the Modi government of neglecting cooperative federalism.
Protests and Boycotts
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NITI Aayog Boycott
Several chief ministers from opposition-ruled states, including Tamil Nadu's M K Stalin, Telangana's Revanth Reddy, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, and Himachal Pradesh's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, announced their decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. They cited the budget's discriminatory allocations and the Centre's disregard for their states' needs.
Stalin, in particular, criticized the budget for failing to introduce new initiatives to support Tamil Nadu's development and reducing welfare scheme allocations, which he argued would adversely impact vulnerable sections of society.
West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan also criticized the budget and announced their intention to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting. Banerjee accused the NDA government of being envious of West Bengal and ignoring the state's legitimate demands. Vijayan described the budget as politically motivated, designed to benefit the central government while neglecting most states, including Kerala.
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Andhra Pradesh Protests
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced a peaceful protest in New Delhi to highlight the alleged lawlessness and anarchy in Andhra Pradesh under the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government. Reddy sought appointments with top national leaders to apprise them of the deteriorating situation in the state.
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Uttarakhand Padyatra
The Uttarakhand Congress announced a padyatra (foot march) to protest against the proposed construction of a replica of the Kedarnath temple in Delhi. The march, dubbed "Kedarnath Bachao Padyatra," aimed to raise awareness about the issue and culminate at the Kedarnath Dham.
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Chhattisgarh Assembly Gherao
The Congress in Chhattisgarh planned to gherao (encircle) the state Assembly to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation, particularly in light of recent violence in Balodabazar city. The protest aimed to highlight the failure of the BJP government in ensuring public safety.
Analysis of Budget Speech
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Focus on NDA States
A notable aspect of the budget speech was the emphasis on NDA-ruled states, with significant allocations announced for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The finance minister's mention of these states highlighted the government's focus on regions critical to its political strategy.
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Exclusion of Non-NDA States
Conversely, states like Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala were conspicuously absent from the budget speech. This exclusion was interpreted by opposition leaders as a deliberate attempt to marginalize non-NDA states and reflect the budget's political bias.
The budget speech notably excluded mentions of several non-NDA states, with minimal references to Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh. The finance minister’s speech included mentions of:
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Jharkhand and West Bengal: Briefly mentioned as part of the Purvodaya plan for the Eastern region's development.
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Himachal Pradesh: Mentioned in the context of flood rehabilitation.
The Union Budget 2024 has undeniably polarized the political landscape, with opposition parties united in their condemnation of what they perceive as a discriminatory and politically motivated financial plan. The budget's focus on NDA-ruled states and the exclusion of others have intensified debates on federalism and equitable resource allocation. As protests and boycotts continue, the broader implications of this budget on India's socio-economic fabric remain to be seen.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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