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.
Mumbai Press Exclusive News
Navneet Rana meets Sunitra Pawar… Is BJP preparing to send Navneet to Rajya Sabha from NCP quota, NCP senior leaders are angry

Mumbai : BJP leader Naveen Rana’s meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president Sunitra Pawar has sparked fresh debate in political circles. There are speculations that the meeting was held to deliberate on the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Sunitra Pawar resigned as an MP. After Vikram Kakde, who is outside the party, was nominated for the Pune Local Authority constituency of the Legislative Council, preparations are being made to send Naveen Rana, who has now joined the BJP, to the Rajya Sabha, a debate that has angered several senior leaders in the NCP.
Rajya Sabha seat: Chhagan Bhujbal is interested Senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal is interested in this Rajya Sabha seat. However, after the discussion of Navneet Rana’s name started, an open discussion has started that the influence of MP Partha Pawar’s group on the decision-making process in the party has increased. It is also being said that Praful Patel is not very active in the party after his name was removed from the post of National Executive President. It is also being said that Sunil Tatkre is also angry and the number of angry leaders in the party is increasing. The last date for filing nominations for this Rajya Sabha seat is June 8, so various leaders in the party have started lobbying for this seat and efforts to get nomination are going on rapidly. After all, the focus of political circles is on who will give the party a candidate.
Navneet Rana, who was elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, joined the BJP in 2024. However, there are talks about her political revival after her defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. It is also said that she has recently contacted some senior BJP leaders. However, it is known that she was advised to contact them because the vacant Rajya Sabha seat is in the NCP quota. It is believed that she met Sunita Pawar only after that.
Elections have been announced for 24 vacant Rajya Sabha seats and by-elections. This includes 4-4 from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, 3-3 from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 2 from Jharkhand and one each from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Apart from this, by-elections for one seat each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will also be held on the same day. Voting will be held on June 18 and the results will be announced on the same day. Meanwhile, there is an important development. It is being told that former MP Naveen Rana is trying to get the Rajya Sabha nomination. The Rajya Sabha nomination from the Nationalist Congress Party quota will be announced soon. For this, Naveen Rana met Sunita Pawar and Partha Pawar on Wednesday. Yesterday, Naveen Rana and Ravi Rana also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Therefore, it is being said that an attempt is being made to nominate Navneet Rana on the NCP quota seat. However, will Navneet Rana give up his quota seat for the NCP? This is also a question. So, will this meeting result in Navneet Rana being nominated in place of Sunitra Pawar? This will become clear in the coming days.
Rajya Sabha Seat: Amul Matkari’s social media post is under discussion, Amul Matkari has posted in this regard and said that the vacant Rajya Sabha seat of Smt. Sunitra Vahini belongs only to NCP! No one else should claim this and put up a front. The name of the NCP party is “Ajit Dada”. Therefore, the decision taken by Smt. will be final. This party is a party that is under the sway of Ajit Dada. That’s all for now.
Crime
CBI court sentences firm partner to three years RI in Rs 4 crore bank fraud case

Chandigarh, June 5: A Special CBI Court in Mohali, Punjab, has convicted and sentenced Samir Dua, a partner of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, Mandi Gobindgarh, to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 15,000 in connection with a multi-crore bank fraud case, an official statement said on Friday.
The sentence was pronounced on June 4, following the conclusion of trial proceedings in the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the CBI, the case was registered against Dalip Dua and Samir Dua, partners of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, along with other accused, for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy to defraud Indian Overseas Bank’s Mandi Gobindgarh branch in Punjab.
The investigation revealed that the accused had fraudulently secured a cash credit limit of Rs 4 crore from the bank by submitting false and fabricated information and documents.
The loan facility was allegedly obtained through misrepresentation, causing a wrongful loss to the bank and corresponding unlawful gain to the accused, the agency said.
Following a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused persons before the competent court. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence establishing the fraudulent nature of the transactions and the conspiracy behind obtaining the credit facility.
After examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, the Special CBI Court found Samir Dua guilty and sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 15,000.
Proceedings against co-accused Dalip Dua were abated due to his death during the pendency of the case.
The conviction marks the culmination of the CBI’s investigation into the bank fraud, underscoring the agency’s efforts to prosecute financial crimes and hold those responsible for defrauding public sector banks accountable.
National News
Rahul Gandhi, Kharge condole loss of lives in Malviya Nagar blaze; ask Cong workers to extend help

New Delhi, June 3: Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, expressed grief over the 20 lives lost in the tragic Delhi fire, calling the tragedy “extremely heartbreaking”. They also appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims injured in the blaze and the families of the deceased.
At least 20 people were killed, and dozens were injured after a massive fire broke out at the multi-storied Lemon Green Restaurant in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, officials said.
So far, 37 people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while a search for others is underway, officials added.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X.
He urged the Delhi government and authorities to provide adequate and timely compensation, “including prompt medical care to the victims”.
“I urge Congress workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims in this difficult time,” he added.
LoP Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely heartbreaking.”
Taking to X, he said: “I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I urge all Congress workers to contribute in every possible way to the relief and rescue operations.”
“I hope for the swift recovery of the injured,” Rahul Gandhi mentioned.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed: “The news of the deaths of a large number of people and injuries to nearly three dozen or more due to a fire in a hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, is extremely heartbreaking.”
“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” she wrote in a post on X.
She, too, appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend their support to the affected people as much as possible.
Senior officials from Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services and rescue services are present at the scene of the tragedy and were monitoring the situation.
Upon receiving information, ten fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene. The fire was soon brought under control. However, the damage was extensive.
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