Opposition stages walk out in Rajya Sabha over discrimination in budget allocation

New Delhi, July 24: The Rajya Sabha session witnessed a heated exchange as Congress and other opposition parties criticised the union budget for making special allocations to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar—states where the BJP is in coalition with the TDP and the JDU—while overlooking other states. The opposition staged a walkout, describing the budget as “discriminatory” and favouring BJP-ruled states.

Leading the charge, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the budget for neglecting the vital needs of several states. “This budget has been crafted solely to appease a select few, leaving the rest of the country in the lurch,” he asserted, adding that the financial plan was designed to “save the chair” of the ruling party.

In her defence, the Finance Minister dismissed the opposition’s claims as “outrageous.” She argued, “If the speech does not mention a particular state, does it mean the schemes of the Government of India don’t go to these states?

They go as per routine.” She cited ongoing projects, such as a Rs 76,000 crore port initiative in Maharashtra, to illustrate her point. The finance minister further criticized the opposition's claims as a deliberate attempt to create a false impression of neglect. She noted that various states, including West Bengal, have received funds, but implementation has been lacking in some cases.

Kharge condemned the perceived imbalance, saying, “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?”

He expected better allocation for Karnataka, the home state of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Kharge and other INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises, accusing the government of discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget.

He named states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka as being neglected.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed his displeasure at the opposition's walkout and Kharge's comments. He emphasized the importance of following rules during budget discussions and criticized the use of disruption as a political strategy. “Democracy will be seriously threatened if disruption and disturbance are weaponized as a political strategy,” Dhankhar stated.

Chairman Dhankhar urged party leaders to reflect on this behaviour and called for the preservation of democratic values and liberties in Parliament. He highlighted the significance of Rule 267, which allows the suspension of proceedings to address urgent matters, noting that it has been permitted only six times in 36 years. He requested political parties to address the issue, as requests under Rule 267 have become a routine occurrence, reducing the mechanism to a farcical practice.