National News
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Does A Facepalm As Rahul Gandhi Slams Budget 2024 Using ‘Halwa Ceremony’ Photo In Parliament

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.
National News
LS Speaker reprimands Sonia Gandhi over Waqf bill ‘bulldozed’ remarks

New Delhi, April 4: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday reprimanded former Congress president Sonia Gandhi over her remarks that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was bulldozed through the Parliament.
Taking strong objection to her claims of Waqf Bill passed ‘forcefully’ in the House, Om Birla termed the comments as ‘unfortunate’ and said that the allegations by senior Congress member was a violation of the democratic norms of the Parliament.
The Speaker noted that the bill was discussed for 13 hours and 53 minutes, with every party participating in the debate and followed by three rounds of voting but despite that Congress member was making such allegations.
“Three rounds of voting were conducted, and the Bill was passed according to the rules of the House. It is unfortunate that, despite following all the parliamentary procedures, such allegations are being made. This is not in line with the democratic norms of Parliament,” Speaker said.
Om Birla’s objection to Sonia’s claims of Waqf bill ‘bulldozed through’ the Parliament came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the matter in Lok Sabha today.
Rijiju, alluding to Congress RS MP Sonia Gandhi, said that extensive discussions took place in both the Houses over the Waqf bill, still the Opposition was making ‘baseless and absurd’ claims that the bill was passed with force.
He also demanded that the Speaker issues an “appropriate order” in response to these remarks.
Rijiju also highlighted that the Waqf reform debate broke the previous record of longest discussion in the Rajya Sabha.
“The previous record for a long discussion in the Rajya Sabha was during the ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) discussion in 1981, which lasted for 16 hours and 51 minutes. Yesterday, this record was broken with a 17-hour and 2-minute discussion, making it the longest debate so far,” he informed the House.
A day ago, after Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Bill after marathon debate, Sonia Gandhi made her displeasure over the amendments known to party leaders, while addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meet yesterday. She stated that the bill was bulldozed through the House and termed it a brazen assault on the Constitution.
“Yesterday, the Wakf Amendment Bill, 2024 was passed in the Lok Sabha and today it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our party’s position is clear. The Bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself,” she said.
National News
After passage from Parliament, Waqf Bill awaits President’s nod: Details here

New Delhi, April 4: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in the wee hours of Friday after a marathon debate, involving heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. The Upper House debated the bill for nearly 14 hours and then cleared it with 128 votes in favour and 95 against.
The legislation was earlier cleared by the Lok Sabha after nearly 12 hours debate, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.
With this, both the Houses have cleared the decks for amendments in the Waqf Bill of 1995 and repealing the Mussalman Wakf Act of 1923.
The next course of action is the Presidential assent for the bill, following which it will turn into a law.
The Bill will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu soon and her approval will pave the way for amending the 1995 laws, governing Waqf properties.
According to a leading portal, the government is expecting a smaller window for the approval, unlike the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The NDA government, which is projecting the Waqf Amendment Bill as one of key milestone decision in first year of Modi 3.0 is expected to notify it for implementation, soon after getting President’s nod.
Interestingly, one of the major highlights of Rajya Sabha voting last night, was Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s stand on the contentious bill.
As per the numbers of NDA and INDIA bloc, the bill was expected to sail through in Rajya Sabha but with a lower margin as compared to Lok Sabha. NDA was expected to get support of 123 MPs but ended up securing 128 votes in favour while INDIA bloc ended at 95 (as against expected figure of 98).
Hours before the voting, Naveen Patknaik-led BJD opened the gates for “conscience vote’, telling its 7 MPs that they would not be bound by a whip and could vote for whichever side they wanted.
Some BJD MPs cross-voted in favour of NDA, there bettering its tally than earlier expected. A total of 119 votes was needed for the bill to get through but BJP’s efficient floor management helped it secure 128 votes.
Meanwhile, Congress has stated that it will challenge the constitutionality of the Waqf legislation in the Supreme Court.
“The INC will very soon be challenging in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” he wrote in a post on X.
National News
Congress MP Imran Masood calls for banning liquor during Navratri

Saharanpur, March 29: Congress lawmaker Imran Masood said on Saturday that not just meat shops, liquor establishments should be shut during the nine-day festival of Navratri and called for embracing and promoting the spirit of brotherhood and communal harmony.
“Everybody is demanding a ban on meat shops during Navratri. Why is no one asking for a ban on liquor shops? Why is there no outpouring on the free flow of liquor during Navratri? Will this not spoil the purity and sanctity of the festival?” Saharanpur MP said in a special interaction with media.
The Congress Parliamentarian said that peaceful celebration supersedes everything, and it is incumbent upon all communities to maintain decorum during festivities and also make certain sacrifices, be it Eid or Navratri.
Notably, Eid-ul-Fitr and Navratri are coinciding on the same day this year. Both festivals are set to fall on Monday, with little possibility of change in the Eid schedule on account of moon sighting.
Days ago, the Congress MP also extended support to the demands of a meat ban during Navratri celebrations. In an apparent message to the Muslim community, he said that nothing would change if one did not eat meat for ten days.
“What matters above everything is the peaceful co-existence of communities. At no point in time, the differences over food preferences lead to communal strife,” Masood told newspersons.
Congress MP, when asked questions on the party’s strategy for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the Opposition is fully prepared to take on the Centre on “partisan legislation”.
“We opposed the amendments in the JPC meeting, tooth and nail. We will strongly voice our dissent in Parliament too,” he said.
Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Waqf Bill will not be delayed any further and will be reintroduced in the ongoing session of Parliament.
Only four working days of the Budget Session are left, as it concludes on April 4.
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