The financial packages to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh showed that this budget was of “compulsion”, the opposition claimed on Friday as it accused the Centre of meting out “step-motherly” treatment to states ruled by non-NDA parties.
During a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, AAP MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer referred to the ‘Hum Do Humare Do’ slogan and said it seems that two persons are dictating terms to two people who ran the government in the last two terms.
“When the Lok Sabha results were coming in and the BJP was stuck around 230-240 seats, we were hoping their seats would go down by 10-20 more. But now we are thankful that they got 240 (seats). Else some other ‘babuji’ besides Naidu ji and Nitishji would have come and the allocation for education, health, MGNREGs would have suffered further,” he said.
No other government has presented a Budget which is driven by compulsions, the AAP MP from Sangrur claimed.
Mr Hayer sought to know why funds were not allocated to Punjab when other states got assistance in dealing with floods. “This is a budget to save their ‘kursi’ (chair),” he alleged.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal claimed that common people were disappointed by the Budget.
“Rajasthan gave you 25 seats but it was disappointed with the Budget. Other than two states, all others have received step-motherly treatment. Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma tweeted about what Bihar got in the Budget but had to take it down after criticism. What kind of Budget is this?” he said.
He also demanded that farmers should get a legal guarantee for MSP and the Agnipath scheme should be scrapped. The MP from Nagaur demanded a special category status for Rajasthan and said if that is not possible, a financial package be given to his state.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal dubbed the Budget a “sarkar bachao (save government) budget” and said only nine states were mentioned in it with two “on whose shoulders this government is standing” being prioritised.
She also alleged that “partiality” had been done in the Budget on the basis of religion and natural calamities.
“It is very good that Bodh Gaya and Rajgir (both in Bihar) were given support. But Darbār Sahib (in Punjab’s Amritsar), where people come from around the world, was neglected,” Badal said.
She also accused the Centre of being “anti-farmer”.
Congress MP from Patiala Dharamvira Gandhi demanded a legal guarantee for MSP. What kind of a budget is this in which Punjab has not been mentioned, he said.
The Patiala MP also demanded the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme and a hike in wages and man-days under MGNREGS.
IUML MP from Kerala Abdussamad Samadani alleged that the BJP sacrificed the interests of the majority of states to please its allies. This goes against democracy and federalism, he added.
Samadani also accused the BJP of fanning a divisive agenda through the Kanwar Yatra eateries order.
BJP MP from Jharkhand, Vishnu Dayal Ram, came out in support of the government, saying that for years those who ruled in Delhi “ignored” Bihar’s plight and it was the Narendra Modi dispensation that provided justice to the state.
“One can ask for support for their states but they don’t need to oppose Bihar for that,” he said.
Mr Ram also hailed the Centre’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir and said the government has ushered in development there.
“After abrogation of Article 370, the priority in Jammu and Kashmir was to provide security. The government adopted a zero-tolerance policy to eradicate terrorism.
“Employment opportunities have been provided to youth to stop them from going on the path of terrorism… strikes and stone pelting incidents have been ended, ushering in development there,” he said.
