Parliament Session Highlights: Chidambaram in RS asks 'Why no mention of Tamil Nadu in Budget speech?

Parliament Session LIVE: Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been adjourned till 11 am tomorrow.

Parliament Session LIVE: On funds allocation to Bihar in the Union Budget 2024 Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “The discrimination point was only one of many. In my case, I had 22 minutes worth of arguments, so I'm not limiting it to just one issue. However, on that specific point, there is no doubt that the overall benefits given to the two states were clearly politically motivated. When Bihar receives ₹26,000 Crores for highways and Karnataka doesn't even get ₹2,000 Crores for Bengaluru's road and tunnel infrastructure, it indicates a different approach. NDA states receive funds for calamity relief, while INDIA government states get nothing. This is a political budget, but one could argue that most budgets are political, so it's not surprising. Still, it's worth highlighting.”

Parliament Session LIVE: On Opposition boycotting NITI Aayog meeting, Union Minister Piyush Goyal remarked, “The opposition has once again displayed their negative attitude towards the Indian democratic system. NITI Aayog is a crucial institution within this federal structure that formulates new policies and reviews existing ones. Unfortunately, some political parties are considering boycotting its meeting, which reveals how their personal politics outweigh their concern for the nation. Sometimes, it seems they prioritize publicity over public service. They claim that some states haven’t received adequate funding in the budget. Either they are not reading the budget properly or they choose not to read it.”

Parliament Session LIVE: Regarding the Union Budget 2024, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “The Budget is exceptionally balanced and offers benefits to every community and state in the country; it addresses the needs of the youth, 4 crore employees, and includes provisions for Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the northeast. Despite this, the Opposition seems unsure of how to criticize it. Rahul Gandhi's remarks yesterday, labelling it a 'Sarkar Bachao Budget,' actually highlight its strengths. If the Budget supports the government, it signifies its effectiveness. If you’re unhappy with that, there's nothing we can do about it.”

Parliament Session LIVE: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee slammed the Centre at the Parliament on Wednesday, saying, “When and how much did they (BJP) give money to Bengal for 100 days work and housing scheme? If they can prove even for 10 paise, I will quit politics. I have said thousands of times that they should bring a white paper and say whether they have given even 10 paise to Bengal in these three financial years 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24.”

Parliament Session LIVE: Congress MP Manish Tewari responded to the Opposition's claims of discrimination in the Union Budget 2024, saying, “If there is no discrimination in the Budget, I might need to revisit the definition of 'discrimination' in the dictionary. This Budget clearly reflects the coalition pressures faced by the current NDA government. As I mentioned yesterday, the English proverb 'the tail is wagging the dog' is quite evident when you examine the Budget.”

Parliament Session LIVE: In the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran said, “I believe it's time for the PM to seek and follow good advice from our CM MK Stalin. When MK Stalin assumed the role of CM of Tamil Nadu, he pledged to work not just for those who voted for him but also for those who did not, seeing it as his duty. Today, however, the PM seems to be working only for the parties that support him, rather than for everyone who voted for his party.”

Parliament Session LIVE: BJP leader Manoj Tiwari, speaking about the Union Budget 2024, said, “Till now, a budget of around 1.5 lakh crore has been allocated to Delhi. For the first time, it was announced to provide houses to the poor in urban areas—shouldn't Delhi be included? Since the AAP government took office, a budget of 6.5 lakh crore has been provided. Yet, people still face issues with inadequate water supply, deteriorating streets, and halted pensions. We will release a white paper on the poor state of Delhi.”

Parliament Session LIVE: On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha was informed that over 12,000 complaints related to central government departments, filed through the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) public grievance portal, remain pending.

In a written response, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh explained that the portal, available at https://www.pmindia.gov.in, serves as a centralized platform for registering grievances concerning central ministries or departments, as well as state and Union territories.

He noted that complaints submitted via the portal can be tracked using a unique registration ID provided when filing. The grievances are addressed by the relevant ministries, departments, states, and Union territories in a decentralised manner, with most being resolved within 30 days.

Parliament Session LIVE: Union minister Bhagirath Choudhary speaking about Rahul Gandhi's meeting with the farmer leaders, says, “The people of the country are acknowledging that PM Modi has dedicated his third term to supporting farmers. The first action he took upon assuming office for the third term was signing the 'Kishan Samman Nidhi'. Rahul Gandhi is attempting to incite the farmers... We urge them not to be swayed by his provocations.”

Parliament Session LIVE: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman today and praised her for delivering the Union Budget 2024.

"This budget has an unprecedented focus on Jobs, Yuva Shakti, Nari Shakti and small businesses," the CM stated in a post on X.

Regarding his meeting with the Finance Minister, the Assam CM said, “The Finance Minister has reassured that all support announced in the Union Budget will be extended to Assam to help build a flood-resilient economy... We have also been assured that all issues related to royalties from hydrocarbon industries in the State will be resolved promptly... I also offered suggestions to enhance the capacity building of Assam’s chemical and hydrocarbon industries.”

Parliament Session LIVE: Speaking to news agency PTI about the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, Congress MP KC Venugopal said, “The Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) is misleading the House. The Budget should reflect the sentiments of the entire country, which was missing in yesterday's Budget. This is why the opposition is protesting.”

Parliament Session LIVE: Regarding the INDIA bloc's protest against the Union Budget, Congress MP Jebi Mather said, “We cannot even call it a budget. What was presented yesterday was a MoU between PM Modi and the CM of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The budget was presented to the two states. When this government is on crutches, these two states are supporting it. It is a total attack on the federal structure of the Constitution. That's why the entire INDIA alliance protested in one voice.”

Parliament Session LIVE: During his speech in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Congress MP P Chidambaram questioned Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech for not mentioning Tamil Nadu or any other state not ruled by the NDA. He emphasised ‘in a federal structure, the Centre must treat all states equally’.

Parliament Session LIVE: Congress MP Chidambaram, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, said that the Centre has been denying funds to Tamil Nadu for disaster relief.

Parliament Session LIVE: Congress MP P Chidambaram criticised the Central Government for inflation during his speech in the Rajya Sabha amid the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

"If you don't take inflation seriously, you will be punished in polls like you were punished in the bypolls," Chidambaram warned the government.

After meeting farmer leaders, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tells reporters: "In our manifesto, we have mentioned MSP with a legal guarantee. We have done the assessment and it can be implemented. We had a meeting right now where were decided that we will talk to the other leader of the INDIA alliance to put pressure on the Govt that MSP legal guarantee should be given to the farmers of the country."

“The overall law and order scenario in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has seen remarkable improvement after the abrogation of Article 370. Organised stone pelting is zero after the abrogation of Article 370. 10 Security Forces &14 civilians killed in 2024 till 15th July,” MoS Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, according to ANI.

“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. Hon'ble Members, I strongly plead with you. Democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponised as a political strategy as has been done now,” Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said.

“Parliament is a citadel of Constitutional and democratic values and liberties. I am aghast as a matter of fact when during the day and days following, we will have ample opportunity to reflect on the budget presented by the Hon'ble Finance Minister, there was absolutely no occasion or justification, even remotely, to not avail the facility accorded by me for this purpose. 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,” he added.

A 12-member farmer leaders delegation reaches the office of Leader of Opposition Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Parliament House to meet him.

The delegation includes leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Congress MPs Raja Brar , Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Dharamvir Gandhi, Deepender Singh Hooda and Jai Prakash are present in the meeting.

“Some farmers wanted to meet me, so I called them inside the office,” LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Parliament. “But they were not allowed to come inside. You will have to ask the prime minister the reason for this.”

Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi today met with 20 Congress MPs who will speak on the Union Budget in Parliament.

Before some leaders of the Opposition walked out of Rajya Sabha over 'discriminatory' Budget, LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said: "...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?..."

"This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition led by Congress to give the impression to people that nothing has been given to our states. This is an outrageous allegation...” Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Rajya Sabha.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is responding to the Opposition's charge that only two states benefitted from yesterday's Budget. She also responded to the charge that non-BJP-ruled states were not even mentioned in the Budget speech.

"I didn’t mention Maharashtra, but we have approved a port in the State. It is worth Rs. 76,000 crores,” Sitharaman says. "Did Congress FMs mention all State names during their Budget speeches?"