Drawing parallels from the Mahabharata, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Union Budget, claiming that the country is in an atmosphere of fear and is now trapped in a “Chakravyuh of lotus,” referring to the BJP’s symbol.
Speaking on the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that farmers, workers, and youngsters across the nation are terrified.
“In my previous speech, I discussed some religious concepts. Shivji’s concept and the idea of Ahimsa is that the trishool is placed behind the back and not held in the hand. I spoke about the snake on Shivji’s neck and mentioned how all religions in our country advocate non-violence, which can be encapsulated in the phrase ‘Daro mat, Darao mat.’ I also spoke about the idea beyond the personal. The concept of Abhay Mudra transmits this motion of Ahimsa, affection, and fearlessness to everyone. There is an atmosphere of fear—‘dar ka mahool hai Hindustan mein.’ My friends are smiling but are also scared. I am speaking about the Budget, sir. Sir, you see the problem in the BJP: only one man is allowed to dream of being Prime Minister. If the Defence Minister wants to be Prime Minister, it’s a big problem—there is fear. So, there is fear in the country. I ask myself: Why is this fear spreading so deeply? Why are my friends in the BJP terrified, the ministers terrified, and why are the farmers, workers, and youngsters of India terrified?” Rahul Gandhi said.
He criticized the Prime Minister for prominently displaying the lotus symbol and claimed that a new Chakravyuh had been created in the 21st century.
“Thousands of years ago, in Kurukshetra, six people trapped Abhimanyu in a ‘Chakravyuh’ and killed him. I did some research and found out that ‘Chakravyuh’ is also known as ‘Padmavyuh’—which means ‘Lotus formation.’ The Chakravyuh is in the shape of a lotus. In the 21st century, a new ‘Chakravyuh’ has been formed—in the form of a lotus. The Prime Minister wears its symbol on his chest. What was done to Abhimanyu is being done to India—the youth, farmers, women, and small and medium businesses. Abhimanyu was killed by six people. Today, too, there are six people at the center of this ‘Chakravyuh’—Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani, and Adani,” he added.
During the session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened, saying, “You are in a Constitutional post. Many of your leaders have told me in writing that if a member is not a member of this House, his name should not be mentioned. This is wrong. From the Leader of the Opposition, I expect that he will follow all the rules and regulations. I expect this. You may not follow it, but I expect it from you.”
After Speaker Om Birla’s intervention, Rahul Gandhi said, “If you want, I will omit the names of NSA, Ambani, and Adani and use only three names. If you want, I will use only three names.”
Gandhi also criticized the Budget for not addressing the needs of the middle class, which had enthusiastically supported Prime Minister Modi’s initiatives.
“The Chakravyuh that has captured India has three forces behind it: first is the idea of monopoly capital, where two people should be allowed to own the entire wealth of India. One element of the Chakravyuh is the concentration of financial power. I am explaining the Budget. The second element is the agencies, institutions, CBI, ED, and Income Tax departments. The third is the political executive. These three together are at the heart of the Chakravyuh and have devastated this country,” he said.
“My expectation was that this Budget would weaken the power of this ‘Chakravyuh,’ that it would help the farmers, youth, laborers, and small businesses of this country. But what I have seen is that the sole aim of this Budget is to strengthen this framework—a framework of monopoly business, political monopoly that destroys democratic structures, and the deep state and agencies. The result has been that those who provided employment in India—small and medium businesses—were attacked through demonetization, GST, and tax terrorism,” he added.
The Leader of the Opposition said that the ‘Chakravyuh’ built by the central government is harming millions of people.
“The ‘Chakravyuh’ you have built is harming crores of people. We are going to break down this ‘Chakravyuh.’ The biggest way to do this, one that scares you, is the Caste Census. Just as I said that the INDIA Alliance will pass a guaranteed legal MSP in this House, we will also pass the Caste Census in this House, whether you like it or not,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also criticized the Centre over the internship announcement in the Budget, where youths will get the opportunity to intern with the top 500 companies in the country.
He attacked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not addressing the paper-leak issue in the Budget speech, which he said is the “biggest issue affecting youth.”
“In the past 10 years, there have been 70 cases of paper leaks in the country,” Rahul Gandhi alleged.
Showing a poster of the traditional Halwa ceremony, held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session, Rahul Gandhi said that 20 officers prepared the Budget of India.
“This photo shows the ‘Budget ka halwa’ being distributed. I don’t see any OBC, tribal, or Dalit officer here. The country’s halwa is being distributed, but 73 percent is not represented. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India… Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baantne ka kaam kiya hai,” he added.
The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Union Budget on July 23 in Parliament, making significant announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including boosts in infrastructure and special financial support.
The Budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and is scheduled to end on August 12.
(With ANI Inputs)
