On Tuesday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded sharply to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s criticism of the recent Budget speech. During her address in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman addressed concerns raised by Kharge, who had pointed out that the Finance Minister only highlighted two states in her budget speech while seemingly neglecting others.
Sitharaman clarified that it’s not unusual for a budget speech to focus on specific states. She emphasized that the omission of a state’s name in the speech does not imply that the state is being ignored in terms of budget allocation. Instead, she explained that schemes and programs are implemented according to established procedures, and funds are distributed based on departmental allocations and expenditure plans.
Using Maharashtra as an example, Sitharaman noted that despite not being mentioned in the budget speech, the state received significant funds, such as the Rs 76,000 crore allocated for the Wadhawan port. She questioned whether the Congress party had named every state in its budgets during its tenure, suggesting that it’s not necessary or feasible to mention all states individually.
Turning her attention to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Sitharaman accused the party of unfairly criticizing the budget for allegedly neglecting West Bengal. She claimed that several schemes introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not been properly implemented in the state.
Sitharaman argued that the TMC’s accusations were an attempt to mislead the public into believing that West Bengal was being unfairly treated.
Sitharaman criticized the opposition parties, particularly the Congress, for making what she called “outrageous allegations” about the budget’s fairness. She argued that their criticisms were part of a deliberate effort to create a false impression of neglect towards certain states.
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