New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) Lok Sabha on Friday took up the discussion on the Union Budget 2025-26, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the last Saturday.
Initiating the discussion, Congress MP Dharamveer Gandhi asserted that the “States make India and not the Centre which makes states. This Budget has no proper allocation for states”.
The Congress leader alleged that the Union Budget has failed to address the agrarian challenges being faced by the country. Raising concerns over issues of farmers' suicide, Gandhi said it was unfortunate that the farmers are still commiting suicides despite ten years rule of NDA government at the Centre.
"MSME sector is not in the focus of the government and the Budget has not taken care of its needs, even quality education in the country is becoming costlier day by day and it is not affordable for the poor and underprivileged in the country" he said.
Before the discussion, the Opposition also questioned the absence of Finance Minister from the house, citing a convention.
Congress MP KC Venugopal demanded that Nirmala Sitharaman should be present during the discussion on the Budget.
“The Finance Minister who presented the Budget should be present in the house,” he said.
In a brief intervention, BJP MP Anurag Thakur retorted, “MoS Finance is present in the house'.
Speaker Om Birla said that there is no such rule that the Minister has to be present during the debate.
“There have been numerous times when debates have taken place in the presence of MoS Finance. I have 25 such examples,” the Speaker said.
Shiv Pal Singh of Samajwadi Party also criticised the Budget saying the farmers are not getting appropriate prices for their produce in the country.
He also raised the issue of prices of fertilizers in the country.
Abhishek Banerjee of TMC raised the issue of hike in the prices of LPG cylinders claiming that 1.2 crore households could not refill their cooking gas cylinders.
He questioned the government on the issues related to farmers in the country and alleged that West Bengal has not received enough allocations in the Union Budget.
Participating in the discussion, Rao Rajendra Singh of BJP lauded the Union Budget saying, "It has taken care of the interests of the poor, farmers and women"
The BJP MP said the government has focused on the well being of farmers and taken several initiatives in this direction...adding that the country has been witnessing a consistent rise in direct tax in recent years".
The Budget Session will be held in two parts – between January 31 and February 13 and then from March 10 to April 4.
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