Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did a facepalm after she could not believe the words spoken by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament on Monday. Gandhi targeted the Central government on Budget 2024, saying that there was not one OBC, Dalit, or Tribal officer present in the ‘Halwa Ceremony’ held at the Finance Ministry before the Budget session.

Launching a fierce attack on the Union Budget 2024, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi displayed a photo of the traditional ‘Halwa Ceremony’ and claimed that there were no OBC, tribal, or Dalit bureaucrats in the photo. Gandhi pointed out that representation of people who form 73% of the population were missing while the Union Budget 2024 was being prepared.

“‘Budget ka halwa’ is being distributed in this photo. I can’t see one OBC, tribal, or Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73% hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India… Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baantne ka kaam kiya hai,” Rahul said in Parliament.

“Lotus-shaped Chakravyuh has trapped India”

Drawing parallels from the Mahabharata, Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Union Budget and said that there’s an atmosphere of fear in the country. He claimed that the country is trapped in a “Chakravyuh of lotus,” referring to the BJP’s symbol.

Speaking on the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that farmers, workers, and youth are terrified.

“In my last speech, I spoke about some religious concepts. Shivji’s concept and the concept of Ahinsa are that the trishool is placed behind the back and not held in the hand. I spoke about the snake on Shivji’s neck and how all religions in our country advocate non-violence, encapsulated in the phrase ‘Daro mat, Darao mat.’ I also mentioned the idea beyond the personal. The Abhay Mudra transmits this notion of Ahinsa, affection, and fearlessness to others. There is an atmosphere of fear, ‘dar ka mahool’ in Hindustan. My friends are smiling, but they are also scared. I’m speaking about the Budget, sir. You see the problem in the BJP: only one man is allowed to dream of being Prime Minister. If the Defence Minister decides he wants to be Prime Minister, there is a big problem—there is fear. So, there is fear in the country. The question I ask myself is: Why is this fear spreading so deeply? Why are my friends in the BJP terrified, ministers terrified, and farmers, workers, and youth terrified?” Rahul Gandhi said.

Gandhi criticised 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 a little research and found 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, also 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, small, and medium businesses. Abhimanyu was killed by six people. Today, there are also six people at the center of this ‘Chakravyuh’: Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani, and Adani,” he added.

Intervening, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “You are on a Constitutional post. Many of your leaders have given me in writing that ‘jo maniye sadash is sadan ka sadash nhi hai uska naam nhi laina hai.’ This is wrong. From the Leader of the Opposition, I expect that he will follow all the rules and regulations. I expect this from you.” After Speaker Om Birla’s intervention, Gandhi said, “If you want, I will omit the names of NSA, Ambani, and Adani, and use just three names. If you want, I will use only three names.” Gandhi said that the Budget has betrayed the middle class, which enthusiastically banged thalis when asked to do so by Prime Minister Modi.

“The Chakravyuh that has captured India has three forces behind it: first is the idea of monopoly capital, that two people should own all of Indian wealth. The second element is the agencies and institutions, such as the CBI, ED, and Income Tax departments, and 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,’ 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—small and medium businesses—were attacked through demonetisation, GST, and tax terrorism,” he added.

Gandhi said that the ‘Chakravyuh’ built by the central government is harming millions of people.

‘Chakravyuh’is harming crores of people: Rahul

“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. Like I said the INDIA Alliance will pass a guaranteed legal MSP in this House, similarly, we will pass the Caste Census in this House, whether you like it or not,” he said.

Gandhi criticized the Centre over the internship announcement in the Budget, which offers youths the opportunity to intern in the top 500 companies in the country. He attacked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not mentioning 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 the poster of the traditional Halwa Ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session, Gandhi said that 20 officers prepared the Budget of India. “‘Budget ka halwa’ is being distributed in this photo. I can’t see one OBC, tribal, or Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73% hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India… Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baantne ka kaam kiya hai,” he added.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on July 23 in Parliament and made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support. The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and is scheduled to end on August 12.