Discriminatory budget: INDIA bloc

New Delhi: INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises on Wednesday over the alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget, with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying the budget is an "assault on the sanctity of India's federal structure". Besides Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, several MPs of the Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK and the Left joined the protest held on the steps leading up to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. Protesting against the budget, Kharge said, "This budget is anti-people, no one has got justice. They have talked about special package but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people."

Sharing a picture of the protest on his WhatsApp channel, Rahul Gandhi said, "Today, along with INDIA janbandhan MPs, protested against NDA's 'Kursi Bachao Budget' in Parliament House premises." "This budget is an assault on the sanctity of India's federal structure - in the greed for power, other states of the country have been neglected and discriminated against. INDIA bloc will continue to raise its voice to provide equal justice to every state of India," Gandhi said in his post on WhatsApp channel in Hindi.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said his state Uttar Pradesh has been discriminated against. They snatched away jobs and are now talking of apprenticeships, he said. SP MP Jaya Bachchan also slammed the budget, saying youth have been given false promises. The protesting MPs raised placards such as ‘We want India budget not NDA budget’ and ‘NDA betrays India in Budget’. “Yesterday, through the budget, the government of India violated all the principles to keep the federal system,” Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said. “The aim of the budget was to protect the government. Giving so many sops to just two states. We are not against giving funds to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar but other states should also get justice. That is why we are agitating today. Even the people are agitated with this,” he said.