The opposition INDIA bloc leaders staged protests both inside and outside Parliament, claiming discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the newly presented Union Budget. The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha sessions began with disruptions as opposition MPs protested the Budget.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, addressing the Rajya Sabha, noted that she “can’t name every state in the Budget,” prompting a brief walkout by several Opposition members.
मोदी सरकार के बजट में किसी भी राज्य को कुछ नहीं मिला।
जिस-जिस राज्य में लोगों ने भाजपा को नकारा है, उस राज्य को इस बजट से कुछ नहीं मिला !
सबकी थाली ख़ाली, और दो राज्यों की थाली में “पकोड़ा” और “जलेबी” !
ये बजट सिर्फ़ अपनी कुर्सी बचाने के लिए लाया गया है।
वित्त मंत्री… pic.twitter.com/4OPJyIyvOL
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 24, 2024
The decision to protest was solidified at a meeting held at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Tuesday evening, attended by key leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Pramod Tiwari, Gaurav Gogoi, Sharad Pawar, Sanjay Raut, Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, TR Baalu, Mahua Maji, Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, and John Brittas, along with KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh from Congress.
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In addition to parliamentary protests, Congress chief ministers announced their boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. KC Venugopal criticized the government’s approach, describing it as contradictory to Constitutional principles. On Tuesday, Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2024-25, her seventh consecutive budget presentation, breaking former Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s record.
This Budget is the first under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. Sitharaman stated that inflation is stable and heading towards 4 percent, with core inflation at 3.1 percent.
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The Budget highlighted rewards for NDA allies, tax relief for new taxpayers, and a focus on job creation for the youth. The standard deduction in the new tax regime was increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, with revised tax slabs benefitting a broader range of income groups.
Salaried employees can now save up to Rs 17,500 in income tax under the new slabs. The government will contribute one month’s salary as a Provident Fund for first-time employees, benefiting an estimated 210 lakh youngsters. The capital gains exemption limit for some financial assets was raised to Rs 1.25 lakh per year, and the angel tax was abolished for all classes of investors.
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Significant projects were earmarked for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, states whose political leaders recently aligned with the BJP. Bihar will see the development of expressways and a power plant, while Andhra Pradesh will receive prioritised infrastructure projects and substantial financial support for capital development. The opposition’s protests reflect a broader dissatisfaction with the perceived bias in the Budget towards NDA-ruled states, highlighting the ongoing political tensions in India’s parliamentary landscape.
