Opposition MPs corner govt over ‘discriminatory’ Budget

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, July 25

Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs on Thursday accused the Centre of allegedly neglecting farmers and the common people in the Union Budget 2024-25.

Leading the charge, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh condemned the Budget for slashing allocations across vital sectors, including defence, health, farming, education and transport. He sarcastically demanded an increase in the jail budget, criticising the government for imprisoning opposition leaders and activists.

“Your goal is not to deliver justice, but imprison everyone. You have put the Chief Minister of Delhi in jail. His sugar levels have dropped below 50 over 36 times. You have jailed Delhi’s Education and Health Ministers. Opposition leaders have been sent to jail. Your aim is not to conduct trials but to imprison people. The more you imprison, the deeper you will fall. If you continue like this, you will drop from 240 to 24,” he stated. He took a jibe at the BJP, saying the condition of jails should be improved as “you all will also go to jail”.

He criticised the government for allegedly fostering division and discrimination, saying. Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala labelled the budget as “anti-farmer”. Samajwadi Party MP Kapil Sibal said, “We need to come together for issues plaguing the country.” He presented statistics revealing that 80 per cent of Indian youth are unemployed.