NEW DELHI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday strongly rejected the charge of favouring only two states – Andhra Pradesh and Bihar – in her Budget speech and accused the opposition of spreading misinformation for political gains. Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are allies states of the BJP-led ruling NDA and their support is crucial for the survival of the Narendra Modi government.
“No state is being denied any money. If a state’s name is not mentioned in Budget speech, it doesn’t mean that no money is given to them,” Sitharaman said and slammed the opposition for double standards. The Union finance minister then cited Budget speeches made under the Congress-led UPA rule and highlighted how many states were not mentioned in the speeches of the then finance ministers.
“I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA govt. at that time – did money not go to those 17 states? Did they stop it? If that is not the case then why are these parties now spreading misinformation on only two states finding mention in our Budget speech,” Sitharaman said.
The 2024 Budget speech announced several schemes and allowances for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which had demanded special category status from the Centre. With BJP winning only 240 Lok Sabha seats, 32 less than the majority mark, Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar play a key role in propping up the NDA government.
“No state is being denied any money. If a state’s name is not mentioned in Budget speech, it doesn’t mean that no money is given to them,” Sitharaman said and slammed the opposition for double standards. The Union finance minister then cited Budget speeches made under the Congress-led UPA rule and highlighted how many states were not mentioned in the speeches of the then finance ministers.
“I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA govt. at that time – did money not go to those 17 states? Did they stop it? If that is not the case then why are these parties now spreading misinformation on only two states finding mention in our Budget speech,” Sitharaman said.
The 2024 Budget speech announced several schemes and allowances for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which had demanded special category status from the Centre. With BJP winning only 240 Lok Sabha seats, 32 less than the majority mark, Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar play a key role in propping up the NDA government.