NEW DELHI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday responded to opposition allegations that Bihar and Andhra Pradesh were favored over other states in the Union Budget 2024, calling them “outrageous” in the Rajya Sabha.
“In every Budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state in this country. The Cabinet had taken a decision to set up a port in Vadavan. But Maharashtra’s name was not mentioned in the Budget yesterday. Does this mean Maharashtra feels ignored? If a particular state is named in the speech, does it imply that the Government of India’s programs don’t reach other states? This is a deliberate attempt by the Opposition, led by Congress, to create the impression that nothing has been allocated to our states. This is an outrageous allegation,” said Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha in response to the Opposition’s protest against the “discriminatory” Budget.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, remarked, “Yeh kursi bachane ke liye yeh sab hua hai,” before the opposition staged a walkout. “Yeh kursi bachane ke liye yeh sab hua hai. We will condemn it and protest against it. All INDIA alliance parties will protest… How will development happen if there is no balance?” said Kharge.
