Controversial Union Budget 2024 Sparks Opposition Boycott of NITI Aayog Meeting

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has labeled the Union Budget 2024 as discriminatory, prompting Indian National Congress Chief Ministers to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. Opposition leaders have harshly criticized the budget, calling it politically motivated and unfair, while the ruling party defends it as a roadmap for 'Viksit Bharat.'

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has labeled the Union Budget 2024 as discriminatory and announced that Chief Ministers from the Indian National Congress (INC) will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting on July 27. Venugopal took to social media platform 'X' to express his concerns.

'The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, which completely goes against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must follow,' Venugopal said, adding that, 'INC CMs will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for 27th July.'

Venugopal also accused the government of acting against constitutional principles. 'This government's attitude is completely antithetical to constitutional principles. We will not participate in an event solely designed to hide the true, discriminatory colors of this regime,' he added.

The budget was presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, making history as the first finance minister to deliver seven consecutive budget speeches. However, the budget received mixed reactions from different quarters.

The opposition has termed it a 'Kursi Bachao Budget,' aimed solely at retaining power, while the ruling party claims it lays down a roadmap for a 'Viksit Bharat.' Sitharaman's budget focused on key priorities such as Agriculture, Employment, and Skilling.

Rahul Gandhi criticized the budget, calling it full of hollow promises, and Mallikarjun Kharge described it as a 'copycat budget' that couldn't even implement Congress' justice agenda properly. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram noted the budget's missed opportunities but welcomed the adoption of some Congress initiatives such as the Employment-Linked Incentive and Apprenticeship scheme.

Other political figures, including Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, condemned the budget for its lack of vision and failure to address unemployment and the needs of farmers and youth. Banerjee called it 'politically motivated and anti-people,' while Yadav dismissed special projects for specific states as ploys to retain power.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticized the government's failure to conduct the Census and noted the budget did not allocate funds for the decadal Population Census.

(With inputs from agencies.)