Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri firmly rejected opposition accusations that the Union Budget for 2024/25 discriminates against states not governed by the BJP or its allies. Puri emphasized that the budget is designed for the entire country, not specific states, and criticized opposition parties for attempting to gain political leverage from these claims.
Addressing the controversy, Puri pointed out that several opposition leaders, including Congress and DMK members, had skipped the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There has been no discrimination in the budget,” he told ANI, noting that eight opposition Chief Ministers, including Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, had boycotted the ‘Viksit Bharat’ meet in May last year.
Puri argued that the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is a comprehensive national plan, separate from the Niti Aayog’s initiatives. “We can’t be selective in democracy. The budget is the union government’s budget. A budget is one thing… NITI Aayog is different,” he stated.
The Union Budget, unveiled on Tuesday, has faced significant criticism from opposition leaders. Congress MP P Chidambaram expressed skepticism about the BJP’s new employment-linked initiatives, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin warned PM Modi of political isolation if he continues to target rivals instead of focusing on governance.
Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee also criticized the budget, echoing the opposition’s main grievance that it overlooks states not allied with the BJP. Critics highlighted the allocation of packages to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, states ruled by the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party, respectively, whose support is crucial for the Modi government.
Puri dismissed these allegations as baseless and urged critics to review the budget documents. “Flimsy arguments are being made,” he asserted. Finance Minister Sitharaman also defended the budget in Parliament, explaining that it is impossible to mention every state in the budget speech but assured that government schemes benefit all states, regardless of their mention.
