Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented the first-ever paperless Budget amidst a walkout by members of the former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal from the Lok Sabha.
Ms. Sitharaman, who had started a new tradition by carrying her Budget speech in a bahi - khata [ledger book] instead of a leather briefcase, once again has the distinction of presenting the first digital Budget as she read out speech from a tablet.
As soon as she started, former Minister in Narendra Modi government and Akali Dal member Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal raised slogans and put up posters demanding the repeal of the three farm laws.
Mr. Modi, along with senior Cabinet colleagues, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was present when the Akali MPs left their designated seats and flashed posters against the farm laws.
Mr. Beniwal, who like the Akalis had left the NDA over the farm laws, joined the Badals in the brief protest before walking out.
The Aam Admi Party’s member from Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, too joined the protest but he returned to his seat.
Congress MPs from the State Gurjeet Aujla and Ravneet Bittu were seen wearing black clothes to express solidarity with the protesting farmers. They also wore placards around their neck.
Sonia missing
While Congress president Sonia Gandhi was missing from her front row seat, party’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi sat through the entire two hours of the Finance Minister’s speech.
For the first time, in keeping with COVID-19 protocol, some of the Lok Sabha members listened to the speech by sitting in the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha witnessed some conventional and competitive sloganeering between the Treasury and Opposition benches. Slogans such as Bharat Mata ki Jai and Jai Jawan Jai Kisan were heard from time to time.
Background commentary
Trinamool MPs, Saugata Roy and Kalyan Banerjee, provided background commentary every time Ms Sitharaman mentioned policy decisions such as disinvestment of government-owned enterprises, private management of ports and so on.
Mr. Roy was heard referring to a Gujarat-based business group whose name repeatedly comes up with regard to farm laws.
The moment the Finance Minister started reading out the government’s record with regard to agricultural procurement, minimum support price and shared data to compare the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and NDA regimes, Opposition members shouted in disapproval.
Several Opposition members were heard raising the issue of restoring the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds that had been suspended for two years because of COVID-19 impact on the economy.
At the end of Ms. Sitharaman’s speech, Mr. Modi personally walked up to her and greeted her for presenting the first budget of this decade.
