“Kursi Bachao Budget…”: INDIA Bloc Condemns Union Budget for "Favoring"Bihar and Andhra Pradesh

Leaders of the INDIA bloc on Wednesday staged protests both inside and outside Parliament today, decrying what they allege as biased treatment of opposition-ruled states in the newly unveiled Union Budget, that they claimed favored Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The protest demonstration was led by leaders such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Mahua Moitra, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi and took place on the steps leading to Parliament's Makar Dwar. MPs from Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and the Left joined in, condemning what they termed as discrimination in budget allocations favoring states governed by allies of the ruling BJP, such a Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget announcement, which earmarked substantial funds for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Mallikarjun Kharge voiced strong objections. "Many didn't get justice in the Union Budget. We are fighting for justice… This Budget is anti-people, no one has got justice… This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people,” said Kharge.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore echoed these sentiments, condemning the budget as "discriminatory" and accusing the government of neglecting states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh. The opposition MPs displayed placards with slogans such as 'We want India budget not NDA budget' and 'NDA betrays India in Budget', emphasizing their dissatisfaction with the budget's perceived bias.
"Yesterday, through the budget, the government of India violated all the principles to keep the federal system,” said Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal criticizing the government's approach. He highlighted concerns about the disproportionate allocation of funds, alleging that the budget primarily aimed at safeguarding the ruling government's position rather than addressing the needs of all states.

Several MPs individually criticized specific budget provisions affecting their constituencies. Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut launched a scathing attack on the BJP, labeling it a 'Kursi Bachao' Budget and drawing historical parallels to criticize fund allocations to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. TMC's Sagarika Ghose criticized the lack of cooperative federalism, arguing that only coalition partner states received significant allocations.

In defense of the budget, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the allegations of bias, asserting, "The Budget is really good and everyone has welcomed it. The Opposition is trying to mislead by saying that it is a budget for only 2 states...It is the budget of the entire country."

The protests were planned following a meeting among INDIA bloc party leaders, where a unanimous decision was made to oppose what they described as discriminatory practices in the budget allocations. Congress chief ministers announced they would boycott the upcoming NITI Aayog meeting in protest against what they termed the government's unconstitutional conduct.