Mallikarjun Kharge-FM Nirmala Sitharaman spar over budget in Rajya Sabha
The Congress leader said being from Karnataka, the state that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman comes from, he had expected better allocation
The opposition and the government exchanged words in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after leader of the opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of providing budgetary allocations to two states to “save the government” to “keep some people happy”.
Speaking in the House, Kharge said, “All this has happened to please someone, to save the chair, and we condemn it...”
The Congress and other opposition parties criticised the union budget for making special allocation for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, the two states where the BJP is a coalition partner with the TDP and the JDU, while overlooking other states.
“In the states where the opposition won, and the BJP was neglected nothing was given... we condemn this. If there is no balance, how will development take place,” Kharge said.
The Congress leader said being from Karnataka, the state that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman comes from, he had expected better allocation.
The opposition then walked out briefly from the Upper House.
Responding to his charge, Sitharaman said, the allegation was baseless as allocation has been made to other states as well.
“What happens in a speech, we do not get an opportunity name every state. Congress has been in power, they should know. Maharashtra for instance, was not named. But the Cabinet has passed an important decision, did Maharashtra get ignored ... ₹75,000 crore has been granted,” she said.
The FM went on to say that she can take the name of so many different states where allocation has been made but the states were not mentioned in the speech.
“If the speech does not take names... does it mean schemes and external aided assistance don’t go to these states, they go as per routine, the department wise allocation, item wise mentions it. This is a deliberate attempt of opposition led by Congress to create an impression that nothing has been given,” she said.
Dubbing the allegation “outrageous”, she took potshots at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and said even then schemes given to West Bengal in the last 10 years have not been implemented in the state.
Jagdeep Dhankhar expresses displeasure
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed displeasure at the opposition walking out and Kharge’s comments.
Speaking in the House he said, “discussion on the Budget was listed today and I gave the floor to the Leader of the Opposition in expectation that rules will be followed. I find it has been used as a ploy and a strategy.”
He told members to observe decorum and said, “Democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponised as a political strategy as has been done now.”
He went on to say, “I cannot persuade myself but to take serious exception to this unwholesome practice adopted by a senior Member, Leader of the Opposition. I will call upon leaders of the parties to soul-search...”
Referring to Parliament as a citadel of Constitutional and democratic values and liberties, he said there was absolutely no occasion or justification, even remotely, to not avail the facility accorded by the chair for discussing the budget. The statement was in response to Kharge describing the budget as discriminatory.
“We have received nothing. We will condemn it and INDIA bloc parties will protest from Kanyakumari to Kashmir...” Kharge said before the opposition’s walkout.