Hon. Chairman Sir and esteemed Members of this august House, today, I rise here to speak on the Union Budget that was presented by the hon. Finance Minister yesterday. If I am to describe this Budget in one line, I would say it is a Budget without any clarity or vision which has been rolled out to satisfy the coalition partners of the BJP rather than providing any substantial relief to the 140 crore people of this country. This Budget was planned by two individuals to keep another two in good faith neglecting the aspirations of 140 crore people. So, the gist is that it has been planned by two and executed for two. It is anti-people Budget crafted to bribe two political parties and buy time. Sir, today, we stand at the precipice of a new era in Indian democracy. When PM Modi became the Prime Minister for the first time in 2014, everyone referred to the Government as Modi Government. When Shri Modi was elected for the second term in 2019, everyone referred to the term as Modi 2.0. But on 4th June, 2024, the people of India decisively rejected the Modi-led BJP Government which reigned supreme almost for a decade. What we now have in place is a creaky, shaky coalition. Yes, Sir, coalition. Coalition means cooperation. No one is referring this Government as Modi 3.0, not even the Union Finance Minister who presented the Budget yesterday, nor even the MPs of BJP, neither the Home Minister, nor the External Affairs Minister, nor the Defence Minister, nor the Panchayati Raj Minister, nor the Health Minister. Even the BJP leaders are not referring to this as Modi 3.0. It is so uncertain and fragile that it can implode anytime. As I was saying, coalition means cooperation; coalition means collaboration; coalition means cohesion. But after yesterday, one thing is very clear that Coalition means appeasement and compensation. That is very clear from yesterday’s Budget. It is ironic that BJP which decried appeasement politics for the last ten years, is now ensnared in its tentacles of appeasement politics and trying to save its own chair. वक्त बदल गया है। This change is more than a paradigm shift in leadership. It is a clear rejection of authoritativeness; it is a rejection of arrogance, divisive politics and empty promises. The message from the electorate of this country is loud and clear. वक्त बदल गया है। Today is exactly the 50th day since this rejection. But PM Modi refuses to accept this reality. He is running a coalition Government and he wants everyone to believe that “सब चंगा सी; all is well.” So, the Defence Minister is the same person; the Commerce Minister is the same person; the Home Minister is the same person; the External Affairs Minister is the same person; the Finance Minister is also the same person. Sir, one thing has changed. I was sitting throughout when the Budget was being presented. Only the cheerleaders have gone done in number. बैंच बजानेवालों का नम्बर थोडा कम हो गया है। The number of cheerleaders has gone down. It is because the people of this country denied them access to this temple of democracy. It is a big change. Amidst all the failures in the last decade, the PM and his Government have achieved something, which is truly remarkable –a world class collection of abbreviations. With more than 110 acronyms or abbreviations up their sleeves, every new initiative feels like almost a linguistic surprise. Sir, who needs plain names when you have a whole vocabulary of letters to decipher? There are 110 names. Just imagine! Why am I talking about abbreviations or acronyms? It is because I want to reply to this Government in a language which they understand. There is ART which means Accountability, Responsibility, Transparency. There is HRIDAY which means Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana. There is UDAN which means Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik. There is GOBAR which means Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources. They have thrown every absurd acronym possible at the people of this country. There are 110 names! As I said, I want to reply to this Government in a language which this Government and the Union Ministers especially the Union Finance Minister understand. So, take for instance the Budget – B.U.D.G.E.T. It is a word with six letters. I will explain all six letters in detail. Let me start with ‘B’ – ‘B’ for betrayal. BJP promised acche din. … BJP promised acche din before coming to power in 2014. … What have they done? They have betrayed the citizens. They have betrayed the housewives. They have betrayed the dailywage earners and the farmers. … आप सनुने की हहम्मत रहिए।… As far as price rise is concerned, a home-cooked veg-thali costs eight percent more year on year in April 2024. The price of onions goes up by 43 per cent. The price of tomatoes goes up by 41 per cent. The price of potatoes goes up by 39 per cent. … सर, एक-एक करकेसदस्यों कोबोलनेकी इज़ाजत है। Sir, I have a lot of patience. So, these things will not distract me. You can just ask them to have patience and listen to what I say and then the Minister can reply. … He is not going to become the Minister. This is not going to score brownie points. … Sir, BJP promised acche din before coming to power in 2014. Sir, what have they done? They have betrayed the citizens. They have betrayed the housewives. They have betrayed the daily-wage earners. They have betrayed the farmers. As far as price rise is concerned, a home-cooked veg-thali costs eight percent more year on year in April 2024. The price of onion goes up by 43 per cent. The price of tomatoes goes up by 41 per cent. The price of potatoes goes up by 39 per cent. … The price of LPG cylinder crossed Rs. 1,100 in 2023. The household savings plummeted to a 50-year low in 2023 with household debt reaching a record high of 39.1 per cent of GDP in 2024. Sir, in the case of earnings, 63 crore people earned less than Rs. 308 per day and 18 crore people earned less than Rs. 180 per day. If the NDA Government in the last ten years had spent even a quarter of time, which it dedicated to political witch-hunting and spreading communal hatred, on addressing the real issues of interest for the people, India would not be ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index. … These people sitting here in the Treasury Benches need to know that they have betrayed the marginalised communities. They spoke about “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” which turned into “jo humare saath, hum unke saath” as admitted by BJP MLA and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly and proved right by the failed Finance Minister of this failed Government yesterday.… As far as crime against the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes is concerned, it has increased by 13 per cent and 14 per cent respectively from 2021 to 2023. They speak about a double-engine Government in Uttar Pradesh. They are trying to defame Bengal. But let me give you a data which was given by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment last year and which was given by the Minister himself. Itproves that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of cases of atrocities against Dalits, followed by Rajasthan. Sir, who is in power in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan? Can these two, who are shouting at the top of their voices, answer? Who is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh? … Who is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan? After the ‘Mangalsutra’ and ‘Mujra’ vilification episodes, the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in their infinite wisdom, have mandated that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route display the names of owners and staff members. … It is a move clearly intended to instigate hate speeches and hate crimes targeting the minority community. We commend and thank the hon. Supreme Court for swiftly intervening with a stay order against all these discriminatory directives. Sir, talking about the vacancies in tribal schools, about 10,000 vacancies in Eklavvya Model Residential Schools remain unfilled as of today. Sir, now I come to religious representation. Religion belongs to an individual, whereas a festival is for everyone. The hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal has said: “Dharma Jar Jar, Utsav Sobar.” Sir, BJP does not have a single Muslim MP. … Sir, please listen to this. … The whole country needs to know that BJP does not have a single Muslim MP in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or any State Assembly. … Diversity is not about the colours in our Flag; it is about the people in our Parliament. … Sir, the absence of diversity in Parliament has tangible consequences in the past. It led to policies that overlook the needs of marginalised communities, legislation that failed to address systematic injustices, and a governance structure that perpetuated inequality rather than fostering unity. The marginalised across the country have spoken with a strong voice this time and unequivocally rejected a Government that has betrayed their aspirations and rights. Sir, now I come to ‘U’. बजट के बी पर बोला ‘हबट्रेअल’, अब मैंयूपर आता ह ं। … Sir, ‘U’ stands for Unemployment. … The unemployment rate in our country rose to an eight-month high of 9.2 per cent in June 2024. … (Interruptions) Talking about youth unemployment… मोदी जी की तीसरी बार, यवुा अभी भी बेरोजगार। … When we speak about youth unemployment, look what unemployment has done to this country. … This is the perfect example. They have gone mad. … This is what unemployment has done. … मोदी जी की तीसरी बार, यवुा अभी भी बेरोजगार। … मोदी जी की तीसरी बार, यवुा अभी भी बेरोजगार। … Sir, among graduates, unemployment was 13 per cent in 2022-23. Among postgraduates and above, it was 12.1 per cent in 2022-23. The Skill India Mission aimed to train 400 million people by 2022, but only 14 million received training by 2024. The target still remains a distant dream. The hon. Finance Minister announced Rs. 2 lakh crore package for five schemes on jobs and skilling of 4,10,00,000 youth. BJP had previously promised twocrore jobs a year. They are nowhere close to meeting the target, and now they are setting unrealistic targets. … These young people do not want to listen to Budget Speeches. The young people of this country, the young India, does not want to listen to your rhetoric, doesnot want to listen to your empty promises, does not want to listen to your 90-minute long Budget Speeches. Now, I come to women unemployment. Unemployment rate for women living in urban India is 22.7 per cent. They speak of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padao”, but they forget to mention about beti ko naukri dilao. On the other hand, you see what is happening in West Bengal. Kanyashree Scholarship Scheme touched the lives of 85 lakh girls, and won the UN Public Service Award. This award was not handed over by any Tom, Dick or Harry. … It was the UN Public Service Award. Over 2,20,00,000 women have been financially empowered through schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar. Financial assistance of Rs.12,000 annually for general category, and Rs.14,400 for women of SC/ST categories has been provided. Many other States are also rolling out similar schemes. I appeal to the hon. Finance Minister, and I humbly urge the Government to set aside arrogance, and embrace willingness to learn from successful practices integrating them into their approach. Only three States in the country have enterprises where women own more than three out of 10 establishments, and these three States are Telangana, West Bengal and Karnataka. It is not coincidental that all three States are governed by the nonBJP political parties. …. And, I have no qualms or hesitation in saying that BJP and women empowerment simply do not align and are rather paradoxical. Sir, now I come to ‘D’ which stands for ‘deprive’ like the hon. Member has deprived his … Sir, ‘D’ stands for ‘deprive’. You spend Rs.20,000 crore on revamping Central Vista. You did this to improve the homes of the rich, influential and powerful. What have you done for the homeless in the cities, in the towns, in the villages? . Sir, he is speaking about Mamta Banerjee. … महोदय, मैंएक बात स्पष्ट करना चाहता ह ं हक सभापहत महोदय नेबोला हैहक जो इस सदन का सदस्य नहीं है।… सर, एक बार मेरी बात सनु लीहजए।… सर, मैंएक चीज़ स्पष्ट करता ह ं। ऑनरबे ल चेयरमैन सर नेबोला हक जो इस सदन के सदस्य नहीं हैं, कोई भी सदस्य उनके हिलार् कोई हटप्पणी नहीं करगे ा। मैंआपसेइतना पूछना चाहता ह ं हक पहिम बंगाल की चीर् हमहनस्टर इस सदन की सदस्य नहीं हैं। उन्होंनेहटप्पणी क्यों की? आप अपनेपद का मान रहिए। उनको बोहलए हक उठकर मार्ी मांगे। Then, I will continue my speech. … No, Sir. You have to intervene. … Sir, you are the Speaker of this House. … : सर, मैंहवनम्र रूप सेआग्रह करता ह ं हक आप उनको बोहलए। आप स्पीकर के नाते, अध्यक्ष के नाते, इस सदन की गररमा के हलए आप उनको बोहलए हक वह उठकर मार्ी मांगें। … Sir, ‘D’ stands for deprived. You spent Rs. 2,000 croreon revamping Central Vista. You did this to improve the homes of the rich, influential and powerful. What have you done for the homeless in the cities, towns and villages? Why have you deprived the homeless across India and Bengal? You are not only visionless and shameless. You are not … Sir, he is not even listening to you सर, येतो आपकी बात भी नहीं सनु रहेहैं। Now, I come to the issue of depriving the rural poor. मोदी जी का तीसरी बार, गरीबों के ऊपर लगातार अत्याचार। Sir, over the past decade, the BJP-led Central Government has made its Bangla-virodhi stand abundantly clear by deliberately depriving people and abusing power to suppress Bengal’s voice. They have made an array of hollow promises, disrespected Bengal’s culture and hatched continuous conspiracies to tarnish the State’s image. Failing to fight us politically, you declared an all-out war on our rural poor, depriving them of roti, kapda and makaan. Sir, hon. Finance Minister gave a statement today in the Rajya Sabha, saying that Bengal has failed to implement the scheme that Centre has aided in the last ten years. Sir, I challenge the hon. Finance Minister if she can release the White Paper of how many dimes, pennies or rupees the Central Government has given to Bengal after its embarrassing defeat in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections in 2021. Sir, in the last three years, let me put this on record, मैंकुछ बोलूंगा, वह सही हो सकता है, आप उस पर हटप्पणी करगेंे, वह सही हो सकता हैया गलत हो सकता है, लेहकन कागज तो झूठ नहीं कहताहै। मैंबस इतना कह रहा ह ं हक आपनेवषड2021 में बंगाल मेंहारनेकेबाद मनरगे ा के हलए बंगाल मेंहकतना पैसा हदया? आवास योजना मेंवषड2021- 22, वषड2022-23, वषड2023-24 र्ाइनेंहशयल ईयर मेंअगर आपनेवाइट पेपर ररलीज करके साहबत कर हदया हक दस पैसा हदया है। … सर, देहिए मैंवाइट पेपर मांग रहा ह ं, लेहकन येहचल्ला रहेहैं। अरेभईया, वाइट पेपर दे दीहजए, कहानी ित्म।हम वाइट पेपर मांगरहेहैं, लेहकन येहचल्ला रहेहैं। इनकेपास कागज नहींहैं, लेहकन सीएए के नाम पर पूरेदेश सेकागज मांग रहेहैं। यह बीजेपी हैं। … Sir, MGNREGS funds to the tune of Rs. 6,913 crore have been forcefully withheld denying wages to more than 59 lakh workers over the past three years. Around 11,36,000 eligible families have been deprived of a roof over their heads as Rs. 8,140 crore under the PM Awas Yojana have been deliberately halted. The Government withheld the release of Rs. 800 crore under the National Health Mission due to noncompliance and certain colour branding guidelines for health and wellness centres despite other conditions being duly met. Despite 334 Central and NLM teams visiting West Bengal in the last three years and ATRs being submitted on time by the departments concerned of the State Government against every observation that was made by the Centre, still no funds have been released. Official interactions with the hon. Prime Minister and the other BJP Ministers of the Department concerned were met with dismissive attitude and constant rejection. Our leaders fighting for the people of West Bengal were even detained in Delhi by Delhi Police. Even women MPs were manhandled and dragged by their hair. And this BJP talks about naari shakti. The Finance Minister yesterday in her speech proposed flood control initiatives for States like Bihar, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand. Unsurprisingly, West Bengal was once again left out in spite of northern part of West Bengal being one of the worst flood affected areas and despite the fact that six out of eight MPs from PCs that fall under the northern part of West Bengal are from BJP. This is the kind of discrimination meted out to our State. I hope people of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar are watching this and listening to what I am saying. As long as we stand as people’s representative, the rights of West Bengal’s people cannot be taken away. The State Government of West Bengal has already cleared the pending wages of 59 lakh MGNREGS workers from its own treasury. It has also been decided that the first instalment of funds for the construction of houses shall be released by 31st December, 2024, which is by the end of this year. In 2022 and 2023 under the Pathashree Scheme, 26,486 kilometres of rural roads were constructed and repaired with a financial outlay of Rs. 6,448 crore As regards depriving women, ‘वंहचत हो रही देश की नारी, िलुेघूम रहेशोषणकारी।’ You have 240 MPs in Parliament. If you had implemented the one-third quota as per the Women’s Reservation Bill, the BJP would have had 80-woman MPs. But how many do they have? They have just 31, which is a mere 13 per cent of their total strength. Comparethis to the Trinamool Congress Party, which boasts not one per cent, five per cent, 10 per cent, 13 per cent, 15 per cent, 20 per cent, 25 per cent but it has 38 per cent women MPs in Lok Sabha. Last year, a Special Session was convened to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill. Yet, the BJP failed to implement it in spirit. In West Bengal, we demonstrated that where there is a will, there is a way. We achieved substantial female representation without grandstanding in the media. That is the difference. Sir, this Government is depriving the students. ‘तीसरी बार मोदी सरकार, िो गयाहैहशक्षा का अहधकार। The inability to conduct NEET is one of the biggest failures of this Government, jeopardising the future of almost 33 lakh bright students. We, all of us, in the Opposition demanded a discussion on this in Parliament but there is hardly a word from the hon. Prime Minister on this issue. Our CM wrote to the PM for scrapping NEET in favour of reverting to a system where the State Government conducts its own medical tests. More than 12,000 vacancies in Kendriya Vidyalayas nationwide are yet to be filled in. There are more than 7,50,000 vacancies for teaching posts nationwide from Class I to Class VIII. There are more than 1,20,000 vacancies for teaching posts in UP alone from Class I to Class VIII. Students account for eight per cent of the total number of suicide victims. Lives of more than, 13,000 students are lost every year because of suicides. … Depriving the working class … ‘मजदूर की जेब हो रही हैिाली, बताओ कब यह हालत हैसधुरनेवाली।’ The ILO data reveals that the growth rate of real wages between 2006 and 2013 was six per cent. So, the data suggests that the growth rate of real wages from 2006 to 2013 was at six per cent and between 2014 to 2021 it is down to 1.4 per cent. The Indian Railways made a bold proclamation about upgrading 40,000 conventional coaches to Vande Bharat standards turning a blind eye to the genuine struggle faced by everyday travellers and neglecting the fact that almost 96 per cent of passengers perform their journey in general and non-AC coaches. They continue to endure grave risks and vulnerabilities compounded by this Government’s sheer ineptitude. Now, I come to ‘G’, G for Guarantee. … सर, देहिए येिदु बोल रहेहैंहक सरकार का घोटाला है।… Thank you. … I will take it actively. … It is very good. … G for Guarantee, G for Ghotala. NEET Ghotala and a guarantee with zero warranty. … PM announced demonetization and guaranteed that black money would be wiped out. He failed in it … आपहकतना सेल्र् गोल देंगे?… देतेरहहए, आप कोही डांट पड़ेगी।… Why I sayguarantee with zero warranty? It is because PM announced demonetization and he said that black money will be wiped down. This Government failed in it as 99 per cent of the black money came back into circulation and is in the system now. Heguaranteed that terrorism would be curbed;againhe failed in it. There have been 26 terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the last six months. He guaranteed to create 25 crore jobs in 2014 and he failed to do it. In 2023, the Government admitted that in the last 10 years only one crorejobs werecreated. He guaranteed that everyone will have a house. The Prime Minister himself said thatevery Indian will have a roof over their headandeveryone will have a house by 2022. The Finance Minister proposed the construction of an additional three crore houses under the PM Awas Yojana. Yet, no mention has been made of 11,36,000 houses in West Bengal that are still awaiting the Central funds. Now, the same money is being allocated to purchase aircraft worth Rs. 8,000 crore and construct palatial buildings as a part of Central Vista project worth Rs. 20,000 crore, and the poor people of this country still endure homelessness and still remain without a roof over their heads. It is another failed promise. They guaranteed employment to the rural poor under MGNREGA, but failed to do so. As I said, not a penny has been allocated for West Bengal in the last three financial years following BJP’s embarrassing defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections. They guaranteed to turn bullet trains into a reality by 2022, but failed again. Now, the deadline has been convenientlyshifted and postponed to 2026. One kilometre of bullet train costs Rs. 200 crore whereasone kilometre of Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) on the other hand costs Rs. 25 crore. Railway accidents today havebecome the order of the day, but the Union Budget presented yesterday makes no mention of rail safety or installation of anti-collision devices or Kavach in the passenger trains. They had guaranteed to double farmers income by 2022, but it failed. The actual growth staggers at three per cent and at this rate, the farmers can expect their incomes to be doubled by 2035 or 2040. Over one lakh persons involved in farming sector tragically took their lives between 2014 and 2022. Around 30 suicides happen every single day. They guaranteed that no home would be without electricity or water by 2022. They failed again. They guaranteed to end terrorism, they failed again. More than 50 soldiers died in Jammu and Kashmir terrorist attack in the last 32 months. More than 50 soldiers died in J&K terrorist attacks in 32 months. From 2018-2022, Jammu & Kashmir had seen 761 terrorist incidents leading to 174 civilian casualties. You make all the big promises, but you fail to keep them. You give all the guarantees but those guarantees come with zero warranty. Under this budget, one thing is clear. The only thing that is growing faster than price rise and inflation is the BJP’s list of broken promises and guarantees. So, we have ‘B’ for Betrayal, ‘U’ for Unemployment, ‘D’ for Deprive, and ‘G’ for Guarantee. सर, मैंनेकहा हैहक यह एक्रोनिम्स की सरकार है, तो मैंएक्रोनिम्स मेंही जवाब दूगं ा। बजट का ‘बी’ था, हबट्रेयल, ‘यू’ था अनइम्प्लॉयमेंट, ‘डी’ था डेपराइव, ‘जी’ था गारटं ी। अब मैं‘ई’ पर आता ह ं। Sir, ‘E’ for Eccentric. Modi j’s … has turned governance into a … costing the nation dearly. His obsession with grandstanding has only distracted the countrymen from the real issues, leaving India to pay the price for his dictatorial displays. He announced unplanned lockdown. The Government’s abrupt announcement of the national lockdown in March 2020 left citizens with only four hours to prepare, triggering widespread chaos and hardship. The unplanned and poorly implemented lockdown resulted in the tragic deaths of over 8,700 people, primarily migrant workers, on our railway tracks and roads. Now, I will talk about the Farm Bills. In 2020, the same Modi government unilaterally passed three contentious farm Bills without any consultation with the farmers or farmers’ organisation or any Opposition parties. हबल पर कोई चचाडनहीं हुई है।… सर, हबल पर कोई चचाडनहीं हुई है।… इनका ताली बजाना ित्म हो जाए तो मैं बताऊं ।… आपने सदन को यह याद हदलाया।… सर, आप मझुेएक चीज बता दीहजए।… सर, एक हमनट। इस सदन मेंजो लोग ताली बजा रहेहैं। 700 हकसान मारेगएहैं। उनको मौत के घाट उतारागयाहै। सर एक आदमी नेएक हमनट भी उनको श्रद्ांजहल दी?… येआज ताली बजा रहेहैं। इसीहलए इनका ऐसा हाल है।… सर, 700 लोग मारेगए हैं।… क्या? … 700 farmers died! 700 farmers died! What did you do? … You people have blood on your hands! You people have blood on your hands! … In 2020, these contentious Farm Bills were passed without any consultation with the Opposition parties or farmers’ organisations. These Bills sparked massive protests. मैंएक चीज स्पष्ट कर देता ह ं। येजो बोल रहेह, ैंमैंबीजेपी सेयहांपर जो सवाल पूछ रहा ह ं, हमहनस्टर को जवाब देना है, अगर इनमेंसेकोई भी जवाब देना चाहता है, तो मीहडया चैनल चूज कर लेऔर मझुे टाइम बता दे। मैंआ जाऊंगा, एक-एक हाथ लड़ लूंगा।… सर, मैंकहरहाह ं।… अगरइनकेसीनेमेंदम हैऔर अगर हहम्मत है, तो येसेट कर लें।… : I am challenging them to come and debate with me. … Sir, harsh measures such as barbed wires, cement boulders and iron spikes were deployed on the roads to block farmers from entering the Capital. … This reveals the true face of this fascist Government. … Now, I will come to demonetisation. In November 2016, the Union Government demonetised Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes … You do not know that demonetization was done in 2016 … Sir, this Government demonetised Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes. … सर, येमझु पर आरोप लगा रहेहैंनक मैंपढ़ करबोल रहा ह ां। पीएम टेलीप्रॉम्पटर सेबोलतेहैं। … सर, प्राइम नमनिस्टर टेलीप्रॉम्पटर सेबोलतेहैं। … (व्यवधाि) सर, डेटा तो मैंपढ़ कर ही बोल ांगा। … आप अपिेिेता को जाकर ज्ञाि दीनजए। … Sir, demonetization was brought to combat black money. … It was brought to combat corruption. … It was brought to combat terrorism. … However, the move resulted in a severe cash crunch and significant economic destruction. … Despite promises to eliminate black money, over 99 per cent of the invalidated currency returned to the banking system, indicating the sheer failure of the initiative. … Shockingly, counterfeit notes increased by 10.7 per cent in 2022 with fake Rs. 500 notes rising by 101.93 per cent and Rs. 2,000 notes by 54 per cent. Sadly, 130 fellow Indians lost their lives due to heat and the strain of standing in long queues, falling victim to this eccentric decision. … That is why we say ‘E’ for `Eccentric’. Now, I come to the last letter. … Sir, `T’ for Tragedy. … सर, कोई 60 साल पहलेजवाहर लाल िेहरू की बात करगे ा, द सरेिेताओांकी बात करगे ा तब आप कुछ िहीं बोलेंगे। … सर, मैंपाचाँ साल पहलेकी डीमोिेटाइजेशि की बात बोल ांगा तो आप कहेंगेनक वतामाि इश्युपर बोनलये। सर, यह पक्षपात िहीं चलेगा।… सर, मैंबजट परहीबोल रहाह ां। जबनबप्लब देबबोल रहे थेतब100 साल परुािीबात कर रहेथे।वह50 साल परुािी इमरजेंसी कीबात कर रहेथेतब आप चपु थे। अब मैंडीमोिेटाइजेशि कीबात कर रहा ह ां तो आपको चभु रहा है। … सर, वाह! Sir, `T’ for Tragedy. … and this is the tragedy. … The example you all set in the House, that is why I said, `T’ for Tragedy. … When the Kolkata flyover collapsed a few years ago, Modi Ji jested that it was not an act of God. He said, “It is an act of fraud.” … Sir, we wonder what he has to say when 141 lives were lost in Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat. Was it an act of God or an act of fraud? … Sir, what happened when roofs of Delhi, Jabalpur, and Gujarat airports collapsed. … Was it an act of God or act of fraud? … Sir, what happened when the Ayodhya Ram Temple roof started leaking after first rain? Was it an act of God or an act of fraud? … Sir, when Mumbai’s Atal Setu started developing cracks within six months of its inauguration, was it an act of God or an act of fraud? … When 41 workers trapped for 17 days after Uttarkashi Tunnel was caved in, was it an act of God or an act of fraud? … When 20 people killed as girder launcher collapsed on Samruddhi Expressway in Thane, what was it? Was it an act of God or an act of fraud? … When 300 lives were lost in Balasore train accident last year, what was it? Was it an act of God or an act of fraud? When nine people were killed and 40 people were injured as a goods train rammed with Kanchanjunga Express last month, what was it? Was it an act of God or an act of fraud? The Railway Minister has blood on his hands. A once reliable mode of transport has been transformed into a death trap. There have been 244 train accidents between 2017 and 2022. There have been 15 major accidents in 2023 alone. Sir, 50 per cent of compulsory track safety inspections were not even completed. … Only Rs.672 crore was spent out of the needed Rs.58,459 crore on track renewal. The Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh which would have received Rs.20,000 crore every year, received only Rs.4,225 crore. There is a staggering shortfall of Rs.15,775 crore. Manipur is burning over the last almost one-and-a-halfyears. There have been more than 200 killings, 70,000 displacements and wrecking of 1000 homes. … There is no mention of the word Manipur in the Union Budget. … Another tragedy of this Government has been the weaponisation of the Central agencies to carry out politically motivated witch-hunts against the Opposition leaders like many of us including me. They did not stop at me or my wife or my elderly parents or my PA or my advocate, but even my 11-year-old daughter and four-year-old son were not spared. … The BJP tried to make an example out of me by setting an example for the rest of the country to see by letting the ED and the CBI go after me. … What did the people do? देश मेंजनता माहलक ह, ैकोई नेता माहलक नहीं है।… The people of West Bengal and the people of my constituency elected me third time with a margin of 7,10,000 votes setting an example for Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Amit Shah and the millions of BJP members and the rest of the country to see that this is the people’s power. … If I have to bow, I will bow before the power of the people. I will not bow before the people in power. People need to understand this. India’s national debt today stands at staggering Rs.169 lakh crore. The Finance Minister needs to know this. … Before you ridicule West Bengal for a debt of Rs.6 lakh crore, the budget predominantly, as I said, is antiBengal and anti-people even though the Stateelected 12 BJP MPs as compared to three in Andhra Pradesh. You still have the guts and gall to overlook West Bengal. You will get a befitting reply again. Perhaps, the Central Government would have benefited drawing inspiration from West Bengal Budget for the year 2024-25. Our Budget stood out for its inclusive approach introducing new schemes while enhancing the incentives of the existing ones. It comprehensively addressed the needs of every section of the society ensuring support for women, youth, students, fishermen and artisans alike. By prioritising equitable growth and social welfare, it has set a commendable example of governance focussed on holistic development of the people I have explained to the august House, including the Finance Minister who is sadly not present in the House, ‘BUDGET’. I repeat again: ‘B’ for Betrayal, ‘U’ for Unemployment, ‘D’ for Deprived, ‘G’ for Ghotala and guarantee, ‘E’ for Eccentric and ‘T’ for Tragedy. The Finance Minister made her seventh Budget speech. There are more empty words, more empty promises, and hollow words. This Budget has got more fiction than finance. … I have exposed the track record of this Government on promises, on governance, on guarantees, and on targets. Since we are talking about the General Budget and estimates and figures, we should also take a look at the audit or try to take a look at an audit. Sir, if you audit the results of 2019 general elections, what will the audit show? The election results are a direct audit of the performance of the hon. Prime Minister and this Government. The PM was the face, the body and the head of the BJP campaign which cried, ‘अबकी बार, 400 पार’. And what is the result of that audit? The result of the audit is that the BJP lost heavily in West Bengal. They were stunned in Uttar Pradesh. They were shaken up in Maharashtra. Their slogan of ‘जो राम को लाए हैं, हम उनको लाएगं ’े backfired. … Their slogan of ‘जो राम को लाए हैं, हम उनको लाएगं े’ backfired. … I would rather say, प्रभुराम आए, तो न्याय आया। कुछ वक्त ज़रूर लगा, लेहकन इंसार् आया। The BJP not only faced a humiliating defeat from the Ayodhya seat but it also lost Badrinath in the last bye-election. That takes me back from where I started. वक्त बदल गया है। The Prime Minister now leads a creaky, vulnerable, and shaky coalition, and it leads a coalition Government which is just waiting to blow up. Rather than investing in the future of this country, it is unfortunate that the Union Government is investing for Modi ji’s political survival at the expense of the nation’s well-being. The truth is that the hon. Prime Minister is on borrowed time. You all are on borrowed time. Mark my words. And I would like to end by saying, थोड़ा सब्र रहिए और कुसी की पेटी बांध लीहजए, मौसम हबगड़नेवाला है। Thank you, Sir.
