“The plates of all states remained empty except for two…”: Union Budget 2024 Sparks Uproar in the Rajya Sabha, Opposition Walks Out Over 'Discriminatory' Budget

Opposition MPS on Wednesday walked out of the Rajya Sabha following a protest and uproar over the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, calling the budget “discriminatory” against non-BJP ruled states. The 2024 budget has proposed the allocation of special funds for Bihar for flood relief and reconstruction work and separate assistance through different centre-funded projects in the state ruled by Nitish Kumar, a key ally of NDA. Flood relief funds have been allocated for other states like Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand but has left out Bengal from the east that has several natural calamities in the past several years including devastating floods.

Responding to the Opposition, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the allegations were “outrageous.” "In every budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state of this country...If a particular state is named in the speech, does it mean that programs of GOI don't go to these states?... This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition led by Congress to give the impression to people that nothing has been given to our states. This is an outrageous allegation," said the Union Finance Minister.

"I want to emphasise that the budget presented yesterday did not benefit any state. The plates of all states remained empty except for two…We have received nothing. We will condemn it and INDIA bloc parties will protest from Kanyakumari to Kashmir...How will development happen if there is no balance?" asserted Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge before the Opposition walked out of the Upper house.

Earlier today, Trinamool Congress MPs staged a demonstration with posters both inside and outside the house, calling it brazen bias towards allies while “Bengal has been denied it’s basic dues, leave aside special flood relief funds”. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had slammed the budget on Tuesday calling it a “budget with no vision but political mission”.

Congress MPs had joined the TMC protest on Wednesday as a show of solidarity. Congress and the opposition part of the INDIA bloc also condemned the special financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh and not to others. Both JD(U) and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP are critical for the NDA government to be at the centre, their support helped BJP that was reduced to 240 seats, below a majority in the Lok Sabha election this year, to form the alliance government. Both Nitish Kumar and Naidu had been demanding for Special Category Status for the respective states. The opposition called the budget 2024 allocations for the two states, thus, an arrangement to woo the allies