Parliament Monsoon Session: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi spoke about the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP stating that "there's an atmosphere of fear in the country" and even BJP MPs are scared. He remarked that the country is now trapped in a "Chakravyuh of lotus," referring to the BJP's symbol. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prominently displaying the lotus symbol and claimed that a new Chakravyuh has been created in the 21st century.
Rahul Gandhi said, "Thousands of years ago, in Kurukshetra, six people trapped Abhimanyu in a 'Chakravyuh' and killed him...I did a little research and found out that 'Chakravyuh' is also known as 'Padmavuyh' - which means 'Lotus formation'. 'Chakravyuh' is in the shape of a Lotus. In the 21st century, a new 'Chakravyuh' has been formed - that too in the form of a Lotus. The Prime Minister wears its symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhimanyu, is being down with India - the youth, farmers, women, small and medium businesses...Today, too there are six people in the centre of 'Chakravyuh'...Six people control today too -Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani and Adani."
After Speaker Om Birla's intervention, he said, "If you want, I will omit the names of NSA, Ambani and Adani, and take just 3 names."
Here are top quotes from Rahul Gandhi's address
- "There's an atmosphere of fear in India, and that fear has pervaded every part of our country. The problem is that in the BJP, only one man is allowed to dream to be the PM. If the Defence Minister decides to want to be the PM, there is a big problem, there's fear. This fear has been spread throughout the country, and the question I ask myself is, why is it that this fear is spreading so deeply? Why is it that my friends in the BJP are terrified, ministers are terrified, farmers are terrified, workers are terrified?", he said.
- Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress MP said that India has been trapped in 'chakravyuh' represented by the lotus symbol that PM Modi wears on his chest.
- The 'Chakravyuh' that has captured India has 3 forces behind it. 1) The idea of monopoly capital - that 2 people should be allowed to own the entire Indian wealth. So, one element of the 'Chakravyuh' is coming from the concentration of financial power. 2) The institutions, the agencies, CBI, ED, IT of this nation, 3) Political executive. These 3 together, are at the heart of 'Chakravyuh' and they have devastated this country, he said.
- He further said that the Budget has not addressed the issue of tax terrorism that has hurt small businesses hard. "My expectation was that this Budget would weaken the power of this 'Chakravyuh', that this Budget would help the farmers of this country, would help the youth of this country, would help the labourers, small business of this country. But what I have seen is that the sole aim of this Budget is to strengthen this framework - a framework of monopoly business, of a political monopoly that destroys the democratic structure and of the deep state and the agencies. The result of this has been - those who gave employment to India, small and medium businesses, were attacked through demonetisation, GST and tax terrorism," said Rahul Gandhi.
- Rahul Gandhi said that youth have been trapped in Agniveer 'chakravyuh' and no provisions in the budget for pension for Agniveers.
- The Leader of the Opposition attacked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not mentioning the paper-leak issue in the Budget speech, which he said is the biggest issue affecting youth. Talking about the issue, he alleged that in the past 10 years, there have been 70 cases of paper leak in the country.
- Rahul Gandhi said that the legal guarantee for MSP in the Budget would have helped farmers get out of 'chakravyuh', but the government did nothing.
- He said that the Budget has stabbed the middle class which enthusiastically banged thalis when asked to do so by Prime Minister Modi.
- Rahul Gandhi slammed the Centre over the internship announcement in the Budget in which the youths will get the opportunity to do internship in the top 500 companies of the country.
- “I want to tell the farmers of the country that we will do what they (NDA) have not done. We will pass (the bill for) guaranteed legal MSP in this House. Before this Budget, the middle class used to support PM Modi. On his orders, the middle class banged ‘thalis’ during Covid. Now with this Budget, you have stabbed the same middle class in the back and chest,” said Rahul Gandhi.
- The Congress MP said, “There are two people who control India’s infrastructure and business. They have airports, telecom systems, ports and now they are venturing into railways. They have a monopoly over the country’s money. I have to speak on them.”
- Rahul Gandhi shows a poster of the traditional Halwa ceremony, held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session. He said, "Budget ka halwa' is being distributed in this photo. I can't see one OBC or tribal or a Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73 per cent hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India...Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baatne ka kaam kiya hai."
- Dalits, tribals, backwards account for 73 per cent population, but hardly get anything from Union Budget, said Rahul Gandhi.
