Budget 2024: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament at 1.25 PM today

Budget 2024: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi will speak on the Union Budget at 1.25 PM in the Lower House today, July 29, the Congress party said. Congress leaders of the House believe that, as the leader of the opposition, Gandhi must address the House, according to news agency ANI, who quoted sources.

Earlier, in a meeting with Congress Lok Sabha MPs, Rahul Gandhi said that since he had already spoken during the special session of Parliament, he believed others should also be given a chance on a rotational basis instead of speaking every time.

However, sources said the party MPs insist that Rahul's address will have a significant impact as the Leader of the Opposition, and thus, he should speak. 

Gandhi, MP from Raebareli, lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on July 23 for what he called a ‘kursi bachao’ Budget favouring BJP allies and cronies. 

“Kursi Bachao Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets,” the Raebareli lawmaker wrote on X soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget 2024 in Parliament on July 23.

Gandhi referred to significant allocations to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh- the two state governments governed by BJP allies, the JD-U and the TDP.

This year's Budget came against the backdrop of a changed political landscape in the country. The BJP fell short of the majority mark in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, forcing it to rely on its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies, including N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), to form the government at the Centre.

The Congress MP participated in an INDIA bloc protest against the Budget at the Parliament complex on July 26.

In his first speech as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha during the last Parliament Session on July 1, Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for an ‘assault’ on the idea of India. 

Gandhi displayed posters of religious figures, including Lord Shiva, to target the ruling party sparking a political slugfest.  

(With ANI inputs)