New Delhi, Jul 25: The opposition continued its attack in Parliament on the government on the second day of Budget discussion over budgetary allocations, claiming it read like a gratitude letter to NDA allies, but the BJP asserted that it will spur employment and help India in its march for all-round development.
Lok Sabha also witnessed an ugly spat between Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Participating in the debate in the lower house, Sasikanth Senthil of the Congress claimed that the Budget reads like a “gratitude letter, a love letter” to only two states while the rest of India is “neglected like a step child”.
Making a forceful assertion, BJP’s Raj Kumar Chahar questioned the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for their contribution to increase farmers’ income.
He claimed the opposition was creating a “narratives of lies” to create suspicion in the minds of the people.
During the course of the debate, the opposition members also said the government’s focus on privatisation of public sector companies has reduced job opportunities for youths and the advent of artificial intelligence will further aggravate the problem.
Channi blamed the central government for an “undeclared emergency” in the country.
During a debate, the former Punjab chief minister also held the BJP government responsible for farmers being termed Khalistanis. He added that his home state Punjab was ignored in this year’s budget.
Channi said, “It’s not a budget to save the country, it’s just to save their government. They haven’t addressed the floods in Punjab, haven’t raised wages and have ignored Punjab in this budget.”
During the course of the debate, Lok Sabha was adjourned twice in the post-lunch period as a war of words broke out between the treasury and opposition benches, triggered by Channi’s spat with BJP’s Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Participating in a debate, Channi referred to the assassination of Bittu’s grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
This led to a war of words between Channi and Bittu, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP.
Bittu, the minister of state for Railways and Food Processing Industries, countered by making certain personal remarks against Channi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, triggering an uproar.
The war of words between the ruling and the opposition benches went on even after Channi concluded his speech.
As Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey started his speech, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee objected to a minister taking the seat next to the member.
Speaker Om Birla clarified that seats have not been allotted yet and the minister was sitting on a seat meant for the NDA members.
Banerjee then said he would also sit on a different seat, and sat on the treasury benches’ side. He later returned to his seat.
As the ruckus continued, Jagadambika Pal, who was then in chair, adjourned the House till 3 pm.
The House resumed normal functioning after it met at 3 pm.
