The opposition INDIA bloc has announced plans to stage a protest at Parliament on Wednesday in response to what they describe as a "discriminatory" Union Budget against opposition-ruled states. Top leaders of INDIA bloc parties gathered at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence at 10 Rajaji Marg to strategize following Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's presentation of her seventh consecutive budget.
The meeting at Kharge's residence was attended by prominent leaders including Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, DMK MPs TR Balu and Tiruchi Siva, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, and Aam Aadmi Party MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, among others.
Several opposition leaders have criticized the Budget for showing favoritism towards Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, states governed by key BJP allies in the National Democratic Alliance. The Finance Minister allocated Rs 15,000 crore for the development of Andhra Pradesh's new capital, Amaravati, and Rs 26,000 crore to Bihar for various road connectivity projects.