FM Sitharaman's facepalm during Rahul Gandhi's attack over Budget halwa ceremony photo goes viral (WATCH)
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jul 29, 2024, 3:46 PM ISTIn a heated session of the Lok Sabha on Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman found herself in a moment of visible frustration as Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, delivered a scathing critique of the 2024 Budget.
In a heated session of the Lok Sabha on Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman found herself in a moment of visible frustration as Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, delivered a scathing critique of the 2024 Budget. The Congress leader's speech targeted the lack of diversity in the team responsible for preparing the budget and questioned the inclusivity of the Modi-led government.
Holding up a poster of the traditional Halwa ceremony, a pre-budget ritual held at the Ministry of Finance, Gandhi pointed out the absence of Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis among the 20 officers who prepared the budget.
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"In this photo, 'Budget ka halwa' is being distributed. I can't see one OBC, tribal, or Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa baant raha hai aur 73% hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India. Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baatne ka kaam kiya hai," he said, emphasizing that the majority of the population was excluded from the process.
As Rahul Gandhi criticized the Halwa ceremony photo, FM Nirmala Sitharaman placed her hands on her head, reflecting her frustration amidst his comments.
20 अफसरों ने मिलकर हिंदुस्तान का बजट बनाया है, जिसमें सिर्फ एक माइनॉरिटी और एक OBC है।
बजट का हलवा बंट रहा है, लेकिन इसमें देश के 73% लोग हैं ही नहीं।
: नेता विपक्ष श्री pic.twitter.com/jqTOH07Qsh
During the discussion on the budget, Rahul Gandhi showed the photo of Halwa ceremony and claimed that there was not a single OBC in it. After this there was an uproar in the house. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stopped Rahul Gandhi and said that according to the rules, you cannot… pic.twitter.com/zuUCX8HM6A
— ब्रजवल्लभ कुमार (@brajvallabha88)NIRMALA SITHARAMAN MUST APOLOGISE!
When Rahul Gandhi was speaking on SC-ST-OBC reservations, Nirmala Sitharaman was laughing.
This is simply what BJP thinks about SC-ST-OBC. pic.twitter.com/Us3hkm5t8Q
Gandhi's remarks caused a stir among BJP lawmakers, who accused him of fear-mongering and creating divisions. Despite repeated interruptions from Speaker Om Birla, Gandhi continued to address what he termed as an 'atmosphere of fear' across the country, accusing the government of betraying the middle class. He criticized the removal of indexation and the increase in long-term capital gains tax, describing these moves as a 'stab in the back' and 'stab in the chest' of the middle class.
The session, which began on July 22 and is set to conclude on August 12, has seen intense debates and disruptions. Gandhi's reference to industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, whom he called ‘A1’ and ‘A2’, further fueled the controversy. Speaker Birla halted his speech multiple times, reminding him to adhere to the rules of the House.
Gandhi also used the metaphor of a 'Chakravyuh', a deadly battle formation from the Mahabharata, to describe the current state of the nation. He alleged that the country's poor and farmers are trapped in this Chakravyuh, symbolized by the lotus emblem worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Thousands of years ago in Haryana, in Kurukshetra, six people killed a youth, Abhimanyu, in a 'chakravyuh'. A 'chakravyuh' has violence and fear. Abhimanyu was trapped and killed in the 'chakravyuh'," he said.
"You build a 'chakravyuh', and we break the 'chakravyuh'," Gandhi said, asserting that the opposition would break this cycle by carrying out a caste census.
"In the 21st century, another 'chakravyuh' has been prepared, it is in the form of lotus and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhinmanyu is being done with youth, women, farmers and MSMEs," he said.
LIVE: LoP Lok Sabha Shri speaks on the Union Budget for 2024-25 https://t.co/vRR2q8DUX9
— Congress (@INCIndia)The Congress leader described the 'chakravyuh' ensnaring India as being driven by three forces: the idea of monopoly capital and concentration of financial power; institutions and agencies like the CBI, ED, and IT department; and the political executive. According to Gandhi, these three elements form the core of the 'chakravyuh' and have wreaked havoc on the country.
"My expectation was that this budget would weaken this 'chakravyuh'. We expected that it would help farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses. But the sole aim of the business is to strengthen the framework of monopoly business, political monopoly and the deep state or the agencies," Gandhi said.
"This 'chakravyuh' attacked and destroyed the small and medium business -- this was done through demonetisation and tax terrorism. The budget did nothing to end this tax terrorism...the finance minister did not say a word on paper leak," he added.
चक्रव्यूह बनाने वालों को गलतफहमी है।
उन्हें लगता है कि देश के युवा और पिछड़े लोग अभिमन्यु हैं..
लेकिन वे अभिमन्यु नहीं हैं- अर्जुन हैं, जो आपका चक्रव्यूह तोड़कर फेंक देंगे।
: नेता विपक्ष श्री pic.twitter.com/npWkVHIzbo
In his address, Gandhi asserted that the INDIA bloc will secure a legal guarantee for MSP for farmers. He noted that the middle class, who had always heeded the prime minister's calls—clapping and turning on their phone lights during COVID—are now shifting their support to the INDIA bloc, having grown disillusioned with the current government.
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