Budget ignored Oppn-Ruled States? Outrageous Allegations, Says FM

Chidambaram claims inflation dismissed 'in just 10 words' in Budget speech

- ARCHIS MOHAN

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday termed "outrageous" the Opposition's allegations that the Budget for FY25 "ignored" all states barring Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. She accused the West Bengal government of failing to implement the Centre's schemes a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the Budget had neglected her state.

The day began with the Opposition INDIA bloc MPs protesting inside the Parliament premises the alleged discrimination against Opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget, with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying the Budget is an "assault on the sanctity of India's federal structure".

Opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and others joined the protesting MPs who raised placards that stated: "We want India Budget not NDA Budget" and "NDA betrays India in Budget”.

The Congress has also decided that its chief ministers will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27, as would the CMs of some of its alliance partners, to protest the Budget "ignoring" Opposition-ruled states. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah have said they will not attend the meeting on July 27.