During the discussion on Budget 2024 on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha witnessed a fiery speech by Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee who, in a closing statement, quoted lines from SRK’s Pathaan and said: "You BJP are on borrowed time. Kursi ki peti baandh lijiye, mausam bigadne wala hai" (Keep your seat belts on, weather is about to become very bad).
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The session also witnessed a heated exchange between Speaker Om Birla and Banerjee over many issues, including past farm laws and demonetisation.
The clash began when Banerjee criticised PM Narendra Modi's government's approach to the three farm laws, which were repealed after considerable controversy. Banerjee contended that these laws were enacted without proper consultation with farmers, farmer organisations, or Opposition parties.
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Speaker Birla countered Banerjee’s claim, asserting that the issue had been extensively debated for five-and-a-half hours in the House. Birla’s intervention led to a sharp retort: "When the Speaker speaks, he speaks right. You correct yourself."
Banerjee, representing Diamond Harbour in West Bengal, expanded his critique to include the demonetisation policy of 2016, prompting further pushback from Birla who advised Banerjee to focus on the 2024 budget.
Banerjee, however, defended his inclusion of past policies, comparing the discussion to recent debates on the Emergency period, which occurred decades ago.
In his speech, Banerjee denounced the 2024 budget as lacking vision and accused the BJP government of crafting it to benefit coalition allies, specifically JDU and TDP. He alleged that the budget was a strategic move to secure support from these allies and criticised the government's preferential treatment of states like Bihar and Andhra Pradesh while neglecting others.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded by pointing out that many schemes introduced by Prime Minister Modi had not been implemented in West Bengal. She challenged Banerjee to provide a detailed account of the funds allocated to Bengal since the 2021 state elections.
Banerjee also accused the Centre of delaying MGNREGA funds and PM Awas Yojana allocations in Bengal, while prioritising expenditure on projects like the Central Vista.
Concluding his speech, Banerjee warned the BJP: "You BJP are on borrowed time. Kursi ki peti bandh lijiye, mausam bigarne wala hai" ("Keep your seat belts on, weather is about to become very bad").
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