“Desperate budget by desperate government”: Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi on INDIA bloc protest against Budget

New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Delhi Congress member Gaurav Gogoi spoke on the protest being held by the INDIA bloc in the Parliament complex Wednesday against the discriminatory Union budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Speaking to ANI, Gogoi said that the budget was very unfair and that the pressing concerns were ignored by the government. He further said that the government does not care about the local needs of the states and hence the INDIA alliance is protesting.

“It’s a very unfair budget. More states in India and their pressing concerns have been ignored. This is a desperate budget by a desperate government only to save its existence,” he said.

Further, he added, “They do not care about the local needs of all the states, that is why the INDIA alliance is protesting.”

The opposition INDIA bloc MPs held a protest in the Parliament complex on Wednesday, against the Union Budget, presented on Tuesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

“Opposition virodhi kursi bachao Budget murda baad” slogans were raised by the INDIA bloc leaders as they protested holding placards in the Parliament building, claiming that the Budget is “discriminatory” in nature.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party General Secretary KC Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and TMC MP Dola Sen were seen participating in the protest.

“This is a deceitful budget, and it is an injustice.” Congress chief Kharge said this while speaking to reporters during the protest.

On whether he will be participating in the general discussion of the budget, Kharge said, “We will protest and then we will see.

Earlier on Tuesday, the INDIA bloc’s Floor Leaders (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) held a meeting at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “The concept of the budget has already been destroyed by this year’s Union Budget. They have completely discriminated against most of the states. So the INDIA alliance meeting was held on how to oppose it.”

After the meeting, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said they would hold the protest as the government had presented the “BJP’s budget.”.

“We discussed the budget. Wherever there is a non-BJP government, the budget has been blacked out. In the name of development, there is nothing. we will hold a protest tomorrow in the Parliament regarding this. We will raise our voices inside the Parliament as well. This is not the budget of the BJP, it is the budget of the whole country, but they have presented it as if it is BJP’s budget,” he said.

The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, criticised the Union Budget 2024-25 on Tuesday, accusing the Finance Minister of making hollow promises.