Parliament Budget Session Day 7 LIVE: Both houses adjourn for the day

Proceedings recommence in the upper house on Tuesday, February 11th at 11 a.m. 

Proceedings recommence in the lower house on Tuesday, February 11th at 11 a.m. 

CPIM MP Dr. V. Sivadasan said the government has failed to mobilise the resources and the total Budget is just 14.2% of the GDP.

He said the Union Government doesn’t have a proper vision. He said that the Budget was presented a day after Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary but the budget went against his talisman.

He added that Gandhi talked about ‘Gram Swaraj’ but rural India was completely neglected in the Budget. He said that the government has spent the allocated amount of 75,000 crore for the rural sector in the 2024-25 year.

He said the government is not ready to increase the allocation for the MGNREGA by “a single paisa” from 86,000 crore rupees.

He added that the government is selling the nation’s valuable assets.

He also said that the government has neglected the tears of Wayanad.

Congress MP Vivek K. Tankha said that the government is boasting about ‘Viksit Bharat’ as if the Union Budget is for the year 2047. He said that we don’t even know what the situation of the country would be after 4 years.

He said the Budget should be on the current year. The Budget should discuss the matters of the current year like the Mahar Kumbh Mela that happens this year, he added.

He said there is no proper infrastructure to reach the Maha Kumbh Mela venue from the airport.

He said U.S. is a huge market for vegetable exporting, adding that the farmers of India are not even getting MSP properly.

He said whether the support reaches the right beneficiaries is the question.

BJP MP from Odisha Sujeet Kumar said that the opposition criticising the government’s anticipation of India reaching 5 trillion economy is just a cheap publicity hunt. 

He said that if the nation’s economy continues to grow at a rate of 6.4%, as India does today, India will achieve the mark within 3-4 years.

He also appreciated the Financial Minister and Prime Minister for giving a historical allocation for sports. He also said that the government should nudge private sectors to invest in sports like many other countries.

Mr. Premachandran held the recently presented union budget was full of “promises and slogans” about ‘Viksit Bharat’. “This is not a growth-oriented budget. It accords profits and concessions to corporate and has nothing for the common people at large,” he said. 

The Kollam MP further sought how the government aspired to achieve their stated vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ with an annual growth rate of 6.8% projected for the upcoming financial year. He pointed to the Chief Economic Advisor’s observation about a mandatory consistent 8% growth in GDP to achieve the vision for 2047. 

The RSP MP held that the budget does not address the basic problem prevalent in the economy as aggregate demand, lack of purchasing power, mass unemployment and shrinking wages. “Instead of mobilising resources by taxing the rich and big corporate houses and expanding public that would help generate employment and ensure minimum wages: the government chose to go in the wrong direction,” he stated. 

According to Mr. Premachandran, the union budget neglects education, prevailing unemployment, expenditure on food subsidies, agriculture and allied activities and stagnant urban development compared to previous fiscal year. 

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said the Budget is “of the elections, by the elections and for the elections.” 

He said the budget is not for the people of India but elections. He said the Budget focused on Delhi and Bihar, aiming for the elections in the States.

The Hyderabad MP stated that the Union Govt’s aspirations about Viksit Bharat were not possible if 80 crore people of the country depended on the government for free ration, inadequate literacy, adject poverty and religious discrimination against Muslims in governance, administration and employment opportunities. He argued that real wages have declined or stagnated since 2014 which has contributed to wealth inequality. “The treasury has constructed 750 party offices, but the poor cannot get a house without offering a bribe,” he held, adding that Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis are among the worst affected for the paradigm. 

Mr. Owaisi further accused the government of disempowering the backward communities, particularly Muslims. He held that allocations for post-metric scholarships have declined 65% to ₹413 crore in the recent budget. This was after he placed concerns about the government having spent only ₹90 crore of the ₹326 crore allocated for pre-metric scholarships. 

BJP’s Shambhu Sharan Patel said that the Congress and RJD governments, who ruled Bihar before 2005 were responsible for the ‘Jungle Raj’ that happened there.

He added that Bihar flourished after the BJP took over the government. All the criminals are behind the bars after BJP won the election, he said.

He condemned the opposition that claims the Union Budget was made just for Bihar.

BJD MP from Odisha Sulata Deo said that the Budget is focused on the States where the election is around the corner. 

She said all the requests from Odisha like special category and disaster funds were neglected by the government in the Budget. 

She asked how five trillion economy would come into being when the value of the rupee plummets on and on.

AITC MP Sushmita Dev reminded that former PM Manmohan Singh said that we should look to the East signifying the importance of Northeastern states. 

She said that the efforts made by Singh were undone by PM Modi by changing the ‘Look East’ policy to ‘Act East’ policy. 

She said the ‘Act East’ policy is destined policy is destined to fail as the Manipur state is “still burning.” 

She said that she had never heard the PM pronouncing the name of Manipur when he talked about Delhi and Bihar during the Budget speech.

Union Budget will also help strengthen economy of erstwhile state: Jammu MP Jugal Kishore The BJP MP held the people of Jammu and Kashmir have welcomed the budget. He argued the budget would also have strengthen the economy of the Union Territory. “The budget has considered for an all-round development of J&K. It is reflective of the centre’s focus on the development of the state,” he stated. 

AITC MP from West Bengal Sushmita Dev said she is honoured to be a representative of the house who comes from the Northeast.

She said almost all the MPs from the North Eastern states tend to remain silent on all the ailing issues of all the eight Northeastern States. She said the silence of ‘one section’ of Northeastern MPs is condemnable. 

They give “not a single word of empathy or apathy” on the Manipur violence, Nagaland Accord or NRC and CAA. 

She said this Union Budget is an “insensitive budget,” adding that the Budget is insensitive to the people of the country and more insensitive in particularly to the Northeast of India. 

She added that PM Modi said after the Budget that the policies given to the middle class are going to have a multiplier effect. She said that all the factors that trouble the nation multiply as it goes to the Northeast.

The lower house, in order to accommodate time for members to express their views on the Union Budget, unanimously agreed to extend the day’s seating till 9 p.m. 

Congress Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the government, during the Union Budget, tried to convey that Bihar is in a very bad situation. 

He said he would like to explain the systematic negligence that was shown to Bihar. 

He said the Bihar Reorganisation Act happened in 2000 when he was an MLA in the Bihar Assembly. 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted to transform Bihar into an agricultural State like Haryana or Punjab, he added. 

He said the per capita income of Bihar has fallen considerably during PM Modi’s time. According to the data quoted by him, Bihar, before the 2010s had a per capita income higher than the national average.

Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni took a jibe at the leaders who criticise the mismanagement of the Maha Kumbh Mela. 

She said that in the 2003 Nashik Kumbh Mela, many people died during a stampede that happened. 

She said in 2013, the Mauritius President of that time left India condemning the pollution in the Ganga river. 

She added that Azam Khan, who organised the Kumbh in 2013, had the responsibility for these horrible situations.

The BJP MP held that the “pragmatic budget” reflected the practical approach of the government which was “extraordinary and rare”. She pointed to the “huge” outlay made for railway and infrastructure. According to her, the ‘double engine’ government have helped bring a greater number of trains, routes and facilitated renovation of more railway stations in Odisha. 

Ms. Sarangi also pointed to the “boost” in allocation of the Tribal Affairs ministry by about ₹15,000 crore. According to her, this would help the ministry pursue many tribal welfare programmes – including in her home state of Odisha. 

BJP MP from Maharashtra, Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni mocked the MPs who dozed off during the Budget speech. 

She said the Budget speech was about the development of India and ‘Vikasit Bharat’. 

She said “We’re fighting for the development of the nation and the people,” by adding that the representatives who slept during the Budget speech were fighting against the development.

BJP MP from Maharashtra, Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni thanked people and PM Modi for the ‘historic victory’ of the BJP in Delhi and for paving the way to a ‘double engine’ government.

She said, the former CM of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, who believed himself invincible, couldn’t even save his seat.

Asom Gana Parishad Party MP Birendra Prasad Baishya thanked PM Narendra Modi for announcing funds for setting up Urea fertiliser factory, that can produce around 12.7 metric tons of urea.

He said Assam’s tea plantations depended on urea fertiliser, and governments had been neglecting Assam and Northeast India. 

He calls this new decision a game-changer for the development of Northeast India. 

He also said the Assam government has taken a huge step by offering 40% of the production cost of the factory. 

“Assam will be a major player in the development of the country,” Mr. Baishya added.

Jose K. Mani of the Kerala Congress (M) says that the Union Budget has “completely ignored” Kerala and “nothing has been done” for the State.

“If you take last eight years budget, can the treasury bench spot one single project or one single assistance or one single scheme exclusively for Kerala ?” he asks.

He says Kerala is being neglected despite performing well on various aspect of development. He says the State is being ignored because “BJP doesn’t envisage any political gain in Kerala”. The State received no funding despite requesting for ₹40,000 crore.

PM Modi visited Wayanad after the landslide disaster there and promised help but no aid from Centre, he says. He also alleges that the AIIMS in Kerala has been “deliberately” not sanctioned by the BJP.

Accursing the Union Govt of provisioning no financial sanction to West Bengal neither in MNREGA nor PM Awaas Yojna, Mr. Banerjee held his home state was managing with funds from the state government. 

“You may ignore us, but you cannot. Every ignorance of yours would receive a befitting response in the 2026 polls in the state when BJP would neither be able to gather 30 seats nor be able to formally have a leader of Opposition,” he held. 

The TMC MP sought the reasons behind the pendency and how many days would it take to pronounce the pending judgements. “What message are the judges trying to convey by holding these orders?” asked Mr. Banerjee. 

Chairman Dhankhar announces that Congress member Rajiv Shukla and AIADMK member Thambidurai have been added to the panel of Vice Chairpersons, in addition to the earlier panel.

Several members speak during the discussion on Union Budget, remarking largely on devolution of taxes to States, welfare schemes for marginalised communities, unemployment, poverty, inflation, lack of investment in health and education and State-specific issues.

The Trinamool Congress MP observed the move would benefit only 2.8 crore salaried tax payees of the country. He indicated that this represented 22% of salaried workers in India. Mr. Banerjee held, “The measure has no relevance to maximum working class of the country.” 

Separately, the Sreerampur MP also placed his concerns about the reduced allocation towards MNREGA to ₹86,000 crore from ₹89,153 crore in 2023-24. “The reduced allocation in MNREGA alongside that in PM Kisaan indicated stagnation,” he held. 

The Baramati MP sought the government present a clear roadmap for the disinvestment of IDBI Bank. She held that former finance minister Jaswant Singh had stated that the government would be passaging the privatisation of IDBI Bank from the parliament. She noted the government presently holds 45.48% stake in the bank, which would be divested to 30.48% - leading to 61% in private hands. Ms. Sule sought if rules (as indicated by former finance minister Jaswant Singh) would be followed. 

Reflecting about the agriculture expenditure incurred by the treasury, specifically the treasury’s mention about the establishment of Makhana Board in Bihar, the NCP (SP) MP argued that there already exists a National Research Centre (for Makhana) in Bihar’s Darbhanga. She stated that the research centre has “no regular director” whilst the government have spent ₹3.4 crore therein. “Can somebody please tell me what is happening there?” she sought. 

Separately in her address, Ms. Sule also placed her reservations about the government’s focus on direct benefit transfers and purchases made by the Maharashtra state government. She accused the state government of having revered direct benefit transfers, instead placing the ministry to make purchases. Ms. Sule accused the state govt of having purchased nano urea with an online retail of ₹92 being purchased for ₹220, nano DAP of ₹269 for ₹590, cotton storage bag worth ₹577 for ₹1200 and metadyne worth ₹817 for ₹1.275. 

The Baramati MP held that the government’s move to remove 37 items from the ambit of taxation, instead imposing a cess, amounted to only moving the revenue accumulation from states to the centre. Ms. Sule held that it would not be of help to her home state Maharashtra which is already under a debt of ₹1 lakh crore. According to her, the debt may escalate to ₹2 lakh crore because of the measure. 

DMK’s Tiruchi Siva says that the tax exemption until ₹12 lakh per annum will benefit only one crore people and questions what was in the budget for the remaining population.

He also talks about the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category contrasting it with the below poverty line (BPL) classification and says that the people in the BPL need education for their children and healthcare. “This government is allocating only 1.89% of its total expenditure to healthcare whereas Tamil Nadu government is spending 5.8% of its total expenditure (towards healthcare),” he says.

The Baramati MP further argued that the government capex and GDP ratio had declined from 3.2% in 2024 to 3.1% at present. 

Reflecting on the recent state of rupee touching ₹87 against the dollar, the Baramati MP discarded a potential pre-emptive response about this being a global phenomenon. Pointing to the Britain pound strengthening by 1.0% alongside the strengthening of Singaporean dollar and Euro, she sought if other countries have recovered why can’t India? 

DMK member Tiruchi Siva says that the government has failed to ensure equal distribution of wealth in this country.

“Only 1% of the population are controlling 22.6% of income and 40.1% of wealth. Whereas poor people, at the bottom level, 50% of them are getting 15% of the income and 6.4% of the wealth. This is totally disproportionate. Only the Finance Minister has to explain this,” he says. 

He also accuses government of “partisan approach”. He also alleges differential treatment to States that are ruled by opposition parties.

Derek O’ Brien says that Trinamool Congress member Ritabrata Banerjee’s microphone was switched off even before he completed his speech. He appeals to the Chair to ensure that such incidents don’t repeat.

Mr. Thakur stating that the whilst the treasury aspired to utilise artificial intelligence for India’s upliftment, the treasury, according to him, wanted to utilise it for damaging purposes as caste census. He accused the Opposition of striving to continue dividing the country by means of regionalism and casteism. “Rather than being concerned about the country’s fiscal deficit –which PM Modi can take care of, he (Mr. Gandhi) should be more about his political deficit – PM Modi cannot take care of that,” he stated. 

The Hamirpur MP also took a dig at the Opposition alliance – observing that it was appearing to be falling apart. Earlier in his address, the BJP MP had stated that that even smaller political parties were not wanting to have Congress leadership.

Observing that during the present dispensation, Indian economy scaled from being the 10th largest to the 5th largest economy, it would become the 3rd largest economy in the next three years. 

Mr. Thakur comparing the allocation in varied realms, put forth in the house that the defence budget increased from ₹2 lakh crore in 2013-14 to ₹6.81 lakh crore at present, road transport from ₹25,476 crore to about ₹2.87 lakh crore, railways ₹27,000 crore to ₹2.55 lakh crore, Home Affairs ₹53,371 crore to ₹2.33 lakh crore, agriculture ₹17,358 crore to ₹1.37 lakh crore, education ₹71,000 crore to more than ₹1.28 lakh crore and health ₹27,000 crore to ₹99,000 crore. 

​

Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar says that, “After the External Affairs Minister made the statement, I learnt myself, in detail, all that the External Affairs Minister had indicated. I will share it with Jairam (Ramesh) ji and he will fully appreciate that the restraint is some times generated for the pure safety of the person concerned,” and continues with the discussion

Leader of the House J.P. Nadda speaks about earlier remarks on the deportation row by Congress member P. Chidambaram.

“The process of deportation is not new and has been ongoing for several years,” he says, sharing the number of deportees each year since 2009. Opposition objects but Chairman Dhankhar says the issue was brought back into discussion by Mr. Chidambaram.

Mr. Nadda says 734 deportees were recorded from the U.S. in 2009 but curtails his remarks without providing the data for other years.

The Hamirpur MP further reiterated the government’s prerogative to scale zero poverty by 2047. In a jibe at the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the BJP MP said, “There are people who visit Rae Bareilly and Amethi for photo-sessions with the homeless or in makeshift dwellings were in for a surprise when they could not find anybody,” he stated, elaborating, “That is because the Modi government provisioned them proper housing – endowing them a life of respect and dignity”. 

Mr Thakur, earlier in his address, had also observed that the present government had provided 4 crore houses housing units with another 3 crore formally sanctioned. 

BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur says that the “AAP”da in Delhi has been removed and the lotus flower has bloomed there. He equates the tax cut for earnings up to Rs. 12 lakh as Mahalakshmi being at the door, and asks Opposition members to also be happy about it. If the middle class is happy, the nation is happy, he says. If farmers receive respect, the nation receives respect, he says.

This is not a band-aid budget, but a booster shot budget, he says. GDP for us is garib, deshbhakti and progress, he says, asserting that now instead of money going to the accounts of the Congress, it will go to the pockets of the middle class.

He said that the Congress received zero seats from Delhi in all elections from 2014 Lok Sabha to the present, including Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections. Next time, Trinamool Congress will get zero in West Bengal, he says.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said that there was one big idea in the economic survey, that the Chief Economic Advisor told the government that they should get out of the way of the people, they need to change the manner in which they govern the country, and re-engineer it so that that it becomes innocent until proven guity rather than guilty unless proven innocent. The Budget does not comply with this, he says. 

In her Zero Hour intervention in the Rajya Sabha, Ms. Gandhi said beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are being identified as per the 2011 Census, and not the latest population numbers.

Read more here

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran says that the combination of unemployment opportunities and rising prices of essential goods has left the middle class and lower income households unable to make ends meet. 

The stage was set for growth at the end of Dr. Manhmohan Singh’s tenure, he said, but what we got werea a set of hollow promises and biased budgets for states which are going for elections.

He called the income tax cuts an “economic sugar rush,” saying that inflation will catch up in a couple of years. Real Indians have been left behind he says. 

Employment generation is the need of the hour he said, noting that MSMEs have received no tax cut from the Budget. 

“It is obvious that the Budget was politically driven, I shall not elaborate on that,” the former Finance Minister says.

He also raises the issue of the deportation of Indian citizens from the U.S., and says that “MEA stumbled badly last week.” 

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha are adjourned till 2 p.m. as sloganeering continues in the House. 

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey draws the attention of the House and the nation towards the complete shutting down of USAID by the Trump Amdinistration.. He questions whether the USAID has given Rs. 500 crore to the Open Society Foundation and George Soros to break uo the country, whether the Open Society Foundation give money to the Rajiv Gandhi charitable trust foundaton, and whether they gave money to Congress Overseas Chairman Sam Pitroda. He also asks what links the Gandhi family has to Muhammed Yunus who he says has destroyed democracy in Bangladesh. 

He questions whether NGOs like Pradhan and Rural Developlment Trust have been given money by USAID. He also asks if the Taliban and terrorist groups have been given money by USAID. 

He asks that the contributions of USAID be investigated in detail.

Members protest and raise slogans as Mr. Dubey speaks. 

Dr. Lata Wankhede, BJP MP from Sagar, MP, asks the Energy minister what steps are being taken to enhance uptake of clean energy in Madhya Pradesh. What steps are being taken to ensure continued supply of electricity, she asks, expressing the hope that several villages in her constituency become Smart Villages. 

Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh is currently hosting the Mahakumbh, which has led to a sharp increase in airfares to the city from various Indian cities.

Mr. Tiwari points out that the airfare to Prayagraj from Chennai, Kolkata, and other cities is more than the fare from Delhi to London.

Mr. Dhankhar laughs, tells Mr. Tiwari that he is a “native of Prayagraj, he should increase his appetite for sanatan dharma”.

Airfares are demand driven, Minister of Civil Aviation says.

“I am trying to address all the issues that you wanted to remove me for,” Mr. Dhankhar tells the Opposition. In December 2024, the Opposition had submitted a notice at Rajya Sabha Secretary General P.C. Mody’s office, seeking the removal of the Chairperson of the Upper House, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Alleging that Mr. Dhankhar, since assuming the office of Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha in August 2022, had conducted the proceedings of the House in an “extremely biased” manner, the Opposition members also presented a six-point “charge-sheet” against him in the notice.

Read more here

BJP MP from Bihar Shambhu Sharan Patel asks when will international operations begin at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport in Patna. The Civil Aviation Minister says that the length of the runway at the Patna airport is not enough to handle larger aircraft, and Bihar will soon receive a greenfield airport which will be equipped to handle international flights.

The Chair refuses to admit any notices seeking an adjournment to discuss matters of importance. Zero Hour commences with Sandhya Ray presiding as Chair.

Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan fields questions about the credit guarantee fund for education. In response to a questions from MP Arvind Sawant about whether the scheme would apply to students who are studying abroad and need to pay in order to continue education, he informs that the Pradhan Mantri Vidyalakshmi scheme has mainly been envisaged to benefit students in the domestic sector. 

He also informs the House that a new scheme for collateral-free credit has been launched, and notes the recent increase in budgetary allocation towards this issue.

DMK MP Kanimozhi asks if it is taking any measures to prevent large-scale auctioning of gold, noting recent instances of this by NBFCs. She also asks why disbursal is capped at Rs. 20,000. 

Pankaj Chaudhary, MoS for Finance, shares that in September 2024, the RBI instructed all organisations to keep an eye on their gold loan portfolios. He says that notices are given multiple times to bank account holders and then auction is done. 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shares that the auctioning is also done complying with strict processes. 

Congress MP Manish Tewari asks if the shift away from the dollar to gold indicates a renewed search for an alternative international settlement mechanism de hors the dollar. Ms. Sitharaman says that the RBI has a basket of currencies and also buys gold. As far the alternative mechanism is concerned, there is not much for me to comment on, she says. 

Jayant Choudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development, fields questions pertaining to funds allocated towards such development in the country. Congress MP Dr. Mallu Ravi asks about any sanctions made for ITIs and polytechnics in Telangana, and the minister clarifies that ITIs are a part of the focus for skilling in the country. 

MPs loudly praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chairman Dhankhar objects and calls out the Leader of the House, possibly to instruct the MPs. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge objects to the chants.

Speaker Om Birla is presiding. Members are engaging in sloganeering, with chants of Modi, Modi filling the House. 

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar arrives in the House. Members chant “Modi, Modi”.

1. Birthday greetings

2. Rammohan Naidu to introduce The Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025 

3. General Discussion on the Union Budget