The Union Budget 2024 has sparked a heated debate between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDI Alliance. The opposition claims the budget is discriminatory and has decided to stage protests in and outside Parliament.
INDI Alliance Meeting
On Tuesday evening, INDI bloc parties met at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. The meeting saw the attendance of several key leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; Pramod Tiwari, Congress’ Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha; Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’ Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha; Sharad Pawar, NCP Chief; Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader; Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress; T R Baalu of the DMK; Mahua Maji of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha; Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party; and John Brittas of the CPI(M).Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh were also present. The consensus was clear: the INDI bloc would protest against the Union Budget 2024, which they perceived as biased and unfair.
Congress’ Allegations
Venugopal expressed the general sentiment of the INDI bloc, criticizing the budget for being discriminatory. He argued that it went against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must follow. “The budget is extremely discriminatory and dangerous,” Venugopal stated after the meeting.
In a subsequent post on X, Venugopal reiterated his stance, accusing the government of ignoring the needs of most states. “This government’s attitude is completely antithetical to Constitutional principles. We will not participate in an event that is solely designed to hide the true, discriminatory colours of this regime,” he said.
Pramod Tiwari also voiced strong criticism, accusing the budget of “blacking out” states where non-BJP governments are in power. He emphasized that the budget should represent the whole country, not just the BJP, and argued that it undermined the federal structure of India.
Reactions from Other Parties
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced he would skip the NITI Aayog meeting, criticizing the budget for ignoring the state’s needs. He pointed out the drastic reduction in welfare scheme allocations and the lack of new initiatives for Tamil Nadu’s development. Stalin described the budget as the “biggest betrayal” to his state, emphasizing that the reduction in welfare allocations would directly impact the most vulnerable sections of society.
Stalin also highlighted that the state government had continuously demanded a fair share of central funds, but the budget had once again ignored these legitimate demands. He lamented the absence of increased allocations for infrastructure development in Tamil Nadu, underscoring the ongoing neglect by the central government.
Karnataka
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting. He stated that the budget did not consider the needs of Kannadigas and criticized the central government for ignoring the state’s demands. “We don’t feel Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting,” Siddaramaiah posted online.
West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee labeled the budget “politically biased” and “anti-poor.” She announced her decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, accusing the NDA government of being envious of West Bengal. Banerjee stated that the state received a “big zero” in budgetary allocations, which she saw as a deliberate attempt to undermine West Bengal’s development.
Kerala
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan echoed similar sentiments, accusing the budget of being politically motivated and ignoring most states, including Kerala. Vijayan criticized the budget for prioritizing the political survival of the central government over the needs of the majority of states. He pointed out that the budget, which claims to have eight national priorities, largely ignored Kerala and other states’ crucial demands.
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the opposition parties, including the NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT), criticized the budget for favoring Bihar and Andhra Pradesh over other states. They argued that the budget allocations were politically motivated and did not reflect the needs of states like Maharashtra.
Budget Speech Exclusions
The budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman largely excluded mentions of non-NDA states. Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala were notably absent from her address. Sitharaman briefly mentioned Jharkhand and West Bengal as part of a holistic developmental project in Eastern India.
Himachal Pradesh
The Congress-ruled state of Himachal Pradesh received a brief mention due to the extensive losses suffered from floods last year. Sitharaman stated that the government would provide assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation through multilateral development assistance.
The Union Budget 2024 has deepened the divide between the NDA and the INDI Alliance. The latter claims the budget is biased and ignores states with non-BJP governments. As protests are planned inside and outside Parliament, the opposition seeks to highlight their grievances against what they see as an unfair and discriminatory budget. The coming days will likely see intensified political action as the INDI Alliance pushes back against the central government’s fiscal policies.
(With inputs from agencies)
