'Where are SC/ST and OBCs in budget ka halwa?': Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP; Sitharaman responds with facepalm

After the session, Gandhi posted on X the photograph of him holding up the halwa ceremony photo in the House and Sitharaman’s reaction.

Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, in Lok Sabha on Monday attacked the Narendra Mod-led government during the debate on the Union Budget 2024.

Gandhi displayed a photo from the "halwa ceremony", a traditional event held at the Ministry of Finance before the budget presentation.

"Budget ka halwa is being distributed in this photo. I can't see one OBC or tribal or a 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 baatne ka kaam kiya hai...," Gandhi said.

#WATCH | In Lok Sabha, LoP Rahul Gandhi shows a poster of the traditional Halwa ceremony, held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session.

He says, "Budget ka halwa' is being distributed in this photo. I can't see one OBC or tribal or a Dalit officer in this. Desh ka… pic.twitter.com/BiFRB0VTk3

— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2024

His remark sparked a commotion among NDA MPs. Speaker Om Birla asking Gandhi to maintain the decorum of the House. Gandhi responded, questioning why the display of the photo was met with such resistance.
"Why are they afraid of the photos?" Gandhi asked, while Speaker Birla insisted, "Poster nahi aane dunga, galat tarika hai yeh." Gandhi apologised and continued his critique of the Union Budget.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was seen using her palm to cover her face in bemusement. She continued to nod her head in disagreement with a smile.

After the session, Gandhi posted on X the photograph of him holding up the halwa ceremony photo in the House and Sitharaman’s reaction.  “Today in Parliament, when I raised the issue of caste census, the Finance Minister laughed and ridiculed this serious issue. Such a dismissive response to the most important issue related to the lives of 90% of the country's population has exposed the intentions, mindset and motives of the BJP. I want to tell the BJP that we will make caste census a reality at all costs and provide justice to the deprived. INDIA will bring out the X-Ray of the country,” he posted on X.

The Congress leader claimed that India is trapped by financial power, central agencies, and political institutions while accusing Union Budget 2024-25 of boosting monopolies. According to Gandhi, the Union Budget was a “tool of monopoly power” and accused the government of perpetuating a “chakravyuha” or trap, created by monopoly capital, financial institutions, and the political executive. He slammed the Union Budget for not addressing issues such as demonetisation and tax terrorism, and noted that the finance minister did not address concerns over paper leaks.