Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said in her reply to the Parliament’s budget debate that post-pandemic economies have suffered worldwide and that the Union Budget 2021 was an effort to provide a “strong stimulus” to deal with this situation. In doing so, she says not only quick short-term solutions were created “we also looked at medium, long-term and sustainable growth that will help us remain one of the fastest-growing economies.”
Sitharaman highlighted the swift response in providing a relief package post covid. She also said that “ building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat actually represents the aspirations of 130 crore people of this country.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi resigned during his speech in Rajya Sabha saying that he feels “suffocated” as he is not being able to do anything of the ground situation in Bengal despite being a parliamentarian. “I am grateful for my party, but I feel suffocated as I am not able to do anything when there is the violence happening in my state, Trivedi said.
Speaking during the Budget Session in Rajya Sabha on Friday BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnaw hailed the 2021 Budget as the most honest and realistic budget in a very long time. Vaishnaw also said that it struck the right balance between “consumption and investment.” Vaishnaw was responding to Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s remark on the Budget being for the “rich” and heavily “supply-driven.”
In the house today, opposition parties including the Congress and AAP slammed Centre for its Budget and over the farmers’ agitation. Speeches from different opposition members triggered reactions from BJP MPs causing chaos in the parliament. While opposition wanted farmers’ protests to take limelight, BJP tried the focus to stay on Budget discussions.
On the last day of the first leg of Parliament’s Budget Session 2021, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reply to the house on Friday. The next Parliament session for this year’s Budget will reconvene on March 8.
