Opposition MPs stage walkout to protest Union Budget 2024 in Parliament

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responds by saying it was not feasible to mention every state in the Budget

On Wednesday, both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha started the sessions on a tumultuous note as Opposition MPs protested against the Union Budget 2024 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a day earlier.

In the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman addressed the chamber, stating that it is not feasible to mention every state in the Budget. This statement was not received well as the only two states mentioned were the strongest allies of the Bharatiya Janata Paty (BJP) in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the recently concluded 18th Lok Sabha elections.
 

During her speech, several Opposition members briefly walked out in protest before returning to their seats.

The decision to protest was solidified during a meeting of the leaders of the INDIA bloc at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Tuesday evening. This high-level meeting included prominent leaders including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress deputy leaders Pramod Tiwari and Gaurav Gogoi, NCP (SCP) Chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, TMC leaders Derek O'Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, DMK leader TR Baalu, JMM leader Mahua Maji, AAP leaders Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh, CPI(M) John Brittas, and Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.

Kerela stages protest against Budget 2024 

Separately, Kerala’s ruling CPI(M) also announced a two-day protest, stating that the Budget has “continued the traditional stance of neglecting Kerela”. 

In a statement, the party called this a ‘serious issue’, questioning why some states receive ‘generous allocation’ while Kerela is ‘completely ignored’. 

The party has called for a two-day protest at its local centres on July 24 and 25.

Opposition to boycott of NITI Aayog meeting

As part of their protest, Congress chief ministers will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. KC Venugopal accused the government of acting contrary to Constitutional principles and stated that they would not participate in an event designed to conceal the regime's true, discriminatory nature.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for 2024-25, her seventh consecutive budget. This Budget marks the first under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term in office. It outlined Rs 15,000 crore in support for capital development and other substantial financial support for Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Budget outlined the development of expressways and a power plant in Bihar. This came after the state was denied ‘special category’ status, which according to the the Janata Dal (United), was a key demand of the party as part of its alliance with the ruling party.

(With agency inputs)