There is not a single penny for pension of Agniveers in Budget: LoP Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Monday while discussing the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha, criticised the government on the issue concerning pension for Agniveers. 

“In this Budget, there is not a single penny for the pension of Agniveers. The government has trapped the soldiers in the Chakravyuha. You call yourselves desh bhakts, but when you have to provide adequate funds to the Agniveers, you don’t give them anything in the Union Budget. You have not given a single penny for their pension,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi said that the farmers of the country were also trapped in the Chakravyuha and they were trying to come out of it but were unable to because of the three black laws.

“To come out of this Chakravyuha they have demanded legally-guaranteed MSP. You have stopped them at the border and you are not ready to talk to them. They came here to meet me and you didn’t allow them to meet me,” LoP Gandhi said.

LoP Gandhi said that when the INDIA bloc would form the government it would provide the legally-guaranteed MSP.

“Maybe before this Budget, the middle class was supporting PM Modi. But after the Budget it is clear that the PM has thrust one knife into the back of the middle class and another in the chest of the middle class. The cancellation of indexation benefit was a knife in the back of the middle class while the increase of capital gains tax was a stab in their chest,” LoP Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said that around 73 per cent of the population of the country constituted of the Dalits, Adivasis, and Backward Classes who are marginalised.

“These people are the main strength of Hindustan. But the reality is that they find no place in the country. They don’t find any space in businesses, corporate India, and not even in governments,” LoP Gandhi said.

While trying to show a picture in the Lok Sabha, which Speaker Om Birla disallowed, the Congress MP said that 20 officials prepared the Budget. “But out of these 20 officials, only one is from the minority community and another is from the OBC. And in this picture none of the two are there,” the LoP alleged.

He said that 95 per cent of the population wanted the caste census to be done but there was not a single word about it in the Budget.

“Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis and minorities want it. They want to know how much of their own country do they own. If we undertake this census the country will change. The government thinks that the youth and Backward Classes of the country are Abhimanyu. They are Arjun and not Abhimanyu. They will destroy your Chakravyuha,” LoP Gandhi said.

He said in order to break this Chakravyuha, the INDIA bloc has taken the first step.

“The people who believe in Padmavyuha (lotus formation) do not understand India. Enmity and violence are not the nature of Hindustan. Chakravyuha is not the nature of Hindustan,” the LoP said.