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7:45 PM (IST), July 23

Budget 2024 live: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge calls budget 'disappointing’ and 'self-serving’

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has slammed the Union Budget for 2024-25, branding it a „disappointing” and „self-serving” budget aimed primarily at maintaining the government’s grip on power rather than addressing the needs of the wider population.

In his remarks, Kharge alleged that the BJP-led NDA government had crafted the budget to appease its allies Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party at the expense of other regions. „This budget is meant to save the seat of government,” Kharge said, adding that it prioritizes the interests of a few cronies over the interests of the common people.

Kharge pointed to special allocations for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, questioning the lack of similar focus in other regions including Kalyan-Karnataka-Hyderabad, which he said were neglected despite their constitutional status. „The government has ignored 140 crore people to please two cronies,” he said.

Highlighting his concerns, Kharge criticized the budget for lack of provisions on key issues like legalization of minimum support price (MSP) for farmers and subsidies on fertilizers and pesticides. He also accused the government of failing to address pressing railway safety concerns and the need for track rehabilitation and expansion of coach production. „Railways has become 'na itar ka na udar ka’,” he remarked, stressing the inadequacy of the railway budget.

Kharge further criticized the Modi government’s decade-long rule, comparing it to past achievements of Congress-led administrations such as MGNREGA, food security and education initiatives. „Modi ji only talked about 'Modi ki guarantee’ during elections, but what did they do?” He questioned.

Addressing the discontent among MPs from various states, Kharge noted that the budget’s failure to address regional concerns has led to widespread disappointment. „They have ignored Haryana, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala etc,” he said, underlining perceived inadequacies and biases in the budget.