Uproar in Parliament over Mahakumbh stampede as Nirmala Sitharaman begins Budget 2025 speech
Budget 2025: The unveiling of the Union Budget 2025 spiralled into chaos as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman faced uproar from the Opposition. Amidst loud slogans and protests led by Samajwadi Party MPs, key opposition leaders staged a dramatic walkout, challenging the government's stance.
Union Budget 2025: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began her Budget 2025 speech amid uproar by the Opposition. The opposition leaders continued to raise slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government before some of them walked out of the Parliament.
The protests in the Lok Sabha were primarily by Samajwadi Party MPs, including party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav.
As soon as Sitharaman rose to present the budget at the scheduled 11 am, SP members shouted slogans demanding a discussion on the tragic stampede at the Mahakumbh this week, in which 30 people died.
Mahakumbh stampede
The Opposition has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of politicising the Mahakumbh congregation and promoting VIP culture at the expense of the common man. Thousands of devotees had turned up at the Mahakumbh for a holy dip in the Ganga river on the ‘Mauni Amavasya’ when the stampede broke out between 1 and 2 am on January 29.
The Budget Session is being held from January 31 to February 13 before breaking for recess to examine the Budget proposals. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue till April 4.
Yadav has been criticising the BJP, which is in power in UP and at the Centre, on the Mahakumbh 2025 stampede and has earlier demanded that the state government hand over administration and management of the religious gathering to the Army.
Before Sitharaman’s speech, Yadav told reporters that there is “a more important thing than a budget at this moment”.
16 Bills on agenda
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has listed 16 Bills, besides the financial business, for the Budget session. These include the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, The Railways (Amendment) Bill, The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, The Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, and The Immigration and Foreigners Bill.
- The opposition’s discontent reflects deep political divides in Indian governance.
- The walkout signifies a strategic move by opposition parties to express dissent.
- Budget speeches are often contentious, highlighting the challenges of consensus in parliamentary democracy.
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