New Delhi: In his speech during the discussion on the Budget, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sparred with the government, and alleged that Dalits and other backward classes were not given their due in this session’s Budget.
Rahul said that the middle class has been “stabbed” by the government with the increase in tax on LTCG. Rahul again raised the Agniveer issue as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that efforts are being made to mislead the people on an issue of national security.
Rahul also had heated exchanges with Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on the floor of the House and refused to yield to him. “If you yield to us when we raise our hand, we will yield to you,” he shot back.
Building on mythological symbolism, Rahul said that like the “chakravyuh” (a battlefield formation that is known to be impregnable) mentioned in the Mahabharata, the “chakravyuh” of this government was controlled by six people.
“Thousands of years ago, in Kurukshetra, six people trapped Abhimanyu in a ‘chakravyuh’ and killed him. Inside it, there’s fear and violence. I did some research and discovered that ‘chakravyuh’ is also known as ‘padmavuyh’ (lotus formation). In the 21st century, a new ‘chakravyuh’ has been formed – in the form of a Lotus; the Prime Minister wears its symbol on his chest,” Rahul said.
“What was done with Abhimanyu, is being done with India – with the youth, farmers, women, small and medium businesses. In Mahabharata, six people controlled the ‘chakravyuh’; today, too, six people control it,” he said, naming PM Modi and Union minister Amit Shah, apart from four others.
Speaker Om Bila interjected him and said that Rahul must follow the rules which stipulate that written permission should be taken before naming someone who’s not a member of the House. Rahul said he would comply.
Rahul further said that at the heart of the ‘chakravyuh’, there is concentration of financial power, misuse of institutions and agencies like CBI and ED, as well as the political executive. “These three systems have devastated the country,” he alleged.
He added that small and medium businesses are harassed by “tax terrorism” leading to "massive unemployment". “The finance minister, in her speech, spoke about an internship programme, which is probably a joke. You broke the youth’s leg and are putting a bandaid on it,” he said.
He said that in her speech, Nirmala Sitharaman ignored the issue of paper leaks. “In the last 10 years of BJP rule, 70 paper leaks have taken place. Yet, the Finance Minister did not mention it in her speech, her allocation for education is the lowest in 20 years,” he added.
He said that the Budget did not have a “single rupee” for the pension of Agniveers. He added that the farmers were not even given legal guarantee of MSPs. “This government missed an opportunity in this Budget; we promise you that we will pass the provision for legal guarantee for MSP in this House,” Rahul said.
He then spoke about an Agniveer, who lost his life in a landmine blast, but "was not recognised as a martyr". “I consider him a martyr, but the government of India does not; PM Modi does not. His family will not receive pension or compensation," he said leading to massive protests by BJP leaders.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said that Rahul was misleading the House. “Our jawans protect the country’s borders, it is such a sensitive issue of our national security. He is misleading the House. Financial aid of Rs 1 crore is provided to the family of an Agniveer who sacrifices his life while defending our borders or during wartime,” Singh said.
Rahul also said that the picture of the finance minister making the traditional Budget-time “halwa” did not have any Dalit or OBC officers.
“The Budget is made by 20 Indian bureaucrats; none of them is Dalit or OBC. They are 73 per cent of our population but don’t find representation. I cannot see a single Adivasi, Dalit, or OBC officer in the photo,” Gandhi said. He further alleged that the finance minister was laughing at this point.
Rahul also said that the middle class of India listened to PM Modi when he asked them to bang utensils during Covid, but "got back nothing" in the Budget. “But what did he do in return? The middle class has been stabbed in the back and in the chest by the Modi government. The removal of indexation is a stab in the back, the capital gains tax is a stab in the chest,” he added.