The INDIA bloc MPs gathered in the Parliament premises on Wednesday to protest the Centre's Union Budget, which they called "anti-people" and was aimed at satisfying the allies.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi attended the protest. Besides Congress MPs, several MPs of the TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK and the Left joined the protest held on the steps leading up to the Makar Dwar of Parliament.
"This budget is just to satisfy their allies. They have given nothing to anyone," Kharge told reporters, calling the Budget as "anti-people."
"No one has got justice. They have talked about a special package but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people," he added. The MPs raised placards such as 'We want India budget not NDA budget' and 'NDA betrays India in Budget'.
The Congress also accused the Centre of violating all principles to protect the government. "Giving so many sops to just two states. We are not against giving funds to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar but other states should also get justice. That is why we are agitating today. Even the people are agitated with this," Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said Nirmala Sitharaman did not even mention Uttar Pradesh in the Budget. "Forget about giving anything to Uttar Pradesh, it was not even named (in the Budget)...To save the government, they are giving funds to some and ignoring the others," Yadav added. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said his state Uttar Pradesh has been discriminated against." They snatched away jobs and are now talking of apprenticeships, he said.
DMK MP T Siva, who attended the protest, alleged that the Budget deprived the opposition-ruled states. "They denied whatever is due to Tamil Nadu. The Union budget is not the nation's budget, it is the alliance budget," he added.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant too accused the Centre of pandering to its allies. "This budget is for 'Ladla Bihar, Ladla Andhra Pradesh and Ladla Odisha'. Andhra Pradesh had asked for a special package but their mouth was shut by giving Rs 15,000 crore to the state," he accused.