• Source:JND
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A sharp exchange took place between Speaker Om Birla and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday during the discussion on Budget 2024. The exchange took place when the latter claimed that the House did not discuss the three farm laws that were later rolled back, and the Chair stressed that it did. 

Banerjee, who is an MP from Bengal's Diamond Harbour said that the Centre passed the agricultural bills without consultation with the farmers or the opposition parties. The Lok Sabha Speaker intervened and said that the House discussed the issue for five-and-a-half hours. When Banerjee stressed that no discussion took place, Birla firmly said, "When the Speaker speaks, he speaks right."

Banerjee, who is considered TMC's de facto number 2 after Mamata Banerjee, even brought in the issue of demonetisation, to which Birla again retorted that the issue dates back to 2016 and urged Banerjee to stick to the budget of 2024. Meanwhile, Banerjee responded and said: "A few days back, in the same house, wasn’t Emergency discussed? That happened 50 years ago. Why can’t I speak on demonetisation?".

The TMC leader claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading a "creaky, shaky and vulnerable" coalition government that looked after the interests of only two states in the budget, ignoring all other citizens in the country. He called the budget "anti-people" and aimed at "appeasing and compensating" coalition partners of the ruling NDA.

"The budget has no vision and agenda. There is no relief to the common people and the budget has neglected 140 crore people of the country," he said in a hard-hitting speech amid repeated disruption by a few BJP members from West Bengal. 

The Lok Sabha MP, Banerjee, also claimed that the 2024 general elections' results are a rejection of "arrogance and divisive politics" of the BJP.

It is a "creaky, shaky and vulnerable" coalition government that will explode soon, he claimed.

The TMC MP said he will expand the word 'BUDGET' as B for betrayal, U for unemployment, D for deprived, G for guarantees that were failed by the government, E for eccentric decisions, and T for tragedies. He added that the NDA government has allegedly betrayed the citizens, farmers, housewives, daily wage earners, and many others during its rule.

Banerjee said prices of essential commodities have gone up, household savings have plummeted, and debts have gone up.

(With input from agencies)