On July 29, Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, slammed the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, saying its Budget 2024 announcements were made in a climate of widespread fear. He accused the government of betraying the middle class both directly and indirectly with these decisions.
This isn’t the first time the opposition has criticized the 2024 Union Budget. Recently, opposition members accused the budget of being a strategy to protect political seats and appease allies and cronies. They even claimed that some of the schemes were lifted directly from the Congress party’s manifesto.
Gandhi asserted that the BJP government has betrayed the middle class. He said the increase in long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax has struck at its heart and that by eliminating indexation benefits, the government has stabbed the middle class in the back.
As soon as Rahul Gandhi mentioned the names of industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, speaker Om Birla repeatedly cut him off. To which Gandhi started referring to them as ‘A1’ and ‘A2’.
In a post on X(formerly known as Twitter), the Rae Bareli MP compared the budget situation to the battle of Kurukshetra, where Abhimanyu was captured and killed in a Chakravyuh, an intricate formation managed by six individuals, also referred to as Padmavyuh because of its lotus-shaped structure.
He described the current situation as a modern-day Chakravyuh, shaped like a lotus, ensnaring India and controlled by six key figures: Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Adani, Ambani, Ajit Doval, and Mohan Bhagwat.
The opposition leader claimed that this modern Chakravyuh has trapped various segments of society in a web of obstacles and injustices. He claimed that the youth are ensnared in a Chakravyuh of unemployment and exam paper leaks, while farmers are caught in a Chakravyuh of mounting debt. The middle class is trapped in a Chakravyuh of oppressive taxes, and MSMEs are struggling in a Chakravyuh of tax terrorism. Soldiers are stuck in a Chakravyuh of the controversial Agnipath scheme, and SCs, STs, OBCs, and minorities are suffering in a Chakravyuh of systemic injustice and discrimination.
Rahul Gandhi highlighted the dire state of the education budget, pointing out that at just 2.5%, it’s the lowest it’s been in 20 years. He emphasized that this comes when students are grappling with rampant exam paper leaks. Yet, the Minister of Finance did not mention this crisis in her speech.
He asserted that the INDIA bloc has commenced breaking this Chakravyuh and will do so until this atmosphere of fear gets replaced by one of celebration and unity, where equal opportunity, justice, and freedom reign for everyone.
Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the BJP should not underestimate the youth of India. They are not like Abhimanyu, they are like Arjun and they will successfully break free from this Chakravyuh.
This budget is not going being received well with the masses, and this discontent with the government may translate into a huge loss of votes in upcoming state elections. Enough setbacks have been faced by the BJP-led NDA in the recent past, especially when the ‘400 paar’ exit polls failed to secure them a majority government at the center.
Thus they could form coalition governments with N. Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) in order to stay in power. This indicates a loosening of their grip over their constituency and unpopularity and dissatisfaction with the budget can further cut into their support.
