New Delhi: Punjab dominated the proceedings in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (July 26) as former chief minister and now Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi and union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu sparred through the afternoon, often exchanging personal remarks. While Channi said that Bittu’s grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh died when Bittu left the BJP, the minister hit back and said that his grandfather had sacrificed his life for the country and not the Congress.
Channi also referred to pro-Khalistan activist and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s imprisonment as a sign of an “unproclaimed emergency”, leading the Congress to later distance itself from his remark.
In the Rajya Sabha Aam Aadmi Party (MP) Sanjay Singh took a swipe at opposition leaders being jailed in the Modi years and said that the budget had seen cuts even in the jail budget.
While opposition members of the INDIA alliance have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of coming out with a “kursi bachao budget” with its push to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh to “bribe” allies the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP)-which is in opposition in Andhra Pradesh- MP V Vijayasai Reddy accused both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA parties of misleading the country and said that the allocations made to the state is a “loan” that has been arranged.
Here are the major highlights from parliament on the second day of the discussion on the union budget
Channi spars with Bittu
Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi sparred with Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu after the former Punjab chief minister alleged during his speech that there is no difference between the Modi government and the East India Company.
“When the East India Company came they captured the businesses. There is no difference between them and the East India Company. Only their colour is different. First they took power now they are using politics to take over all the business in the country.
Bittu could then be heard making a remark by taking Sonia Gandhi’s name, to which Channi responded by naming Bittu’s grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
“Bittuji your grandfather became a martyr but he did not die on that day. He died on the day you left the Congress,” said Channi.
Bittu then countered him by saying that his grandfather had sacrificed his life for the country and not for the Congress.
“My grandfather Sardar Beant Singh sacrificed his life for the country and not for the Congress. He (Channi) is talking about poverty, ask him about his wealth. If he is not the most corrupt and wealthiest man in Punjab I will change my name. He is the owner of thousands of crores. Who is he calling gora? Where is Sonia Gandhi from?”
As opposition benches and Treasury benches rose up in protest, and members walked towards the well of the House, BJP MP Sandhya Ray who was acting as the chairperson adjourned the House.
Later when the House reconvened Channi once again was met with protests from the Treasury Benches after he said that the centre had invoked the National Security Act against protesting farmers. Union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju said Channi should authenticate the allegations and accused him of misleading the House.
“Asking for an authentication by the Treasury benches is parliamentary tradition. He has been a chief minister as well. Why is he lying? He is trying to mislead. This matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee. You cannot mislead the House,” said Rijiju.
Representative image of MPs in parliament on December 14. Photo: Screengrab from Sansad TV
Row over Channi’s Amritpal Singh reference
Earlier during his speech, Channi also said that while the BJP is now talking about the Emergency by commemorating its 50th year anniversary, an “unproclaimed emergency” is in place in the country and referred to Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh who is in jail.
“What about the unproclaimed emergency in the country. A famous young singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead. Till date his family has not got justice. This is emergency. This is also an emergency that 20 lakh people voted for an MP but he is still in jail under NSA. The people of his constituency don’t have freedom of speech in parliament. This is also emergency,” he said.
Later BJP MPs took to X (formerly Twitter) and objected to Channi’s remarks.
Union minister Giriraj Singh said that “Khalistanis killed Indira Gandhi and now Congress is supporting the Khalistanis,” he wrote.
Later the Congress distanced itself from Channi’s remarks with Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh stating that the former Punjab chief minister’s remarks were his own and not the party’s.
Sanjay Singh’s jail budget jibe
During his speech in the Rajya Sabha Aam Aadmi Party (MP) Sanjay Singh took a shot at the BJP government for jailing opposition leaders and said that the union budget should have increased the budget for jails.
“I was reading their budget. They have decreased the budget for jails as well. At least increase the budget for jails. You have only allocated Rs 300 crore. Now you have sent me to jail, tomorrow you will have to go to jail. Increase the jail budget and fix the jails. You will be next,” he said.
Singh was granted bail in April after he was arrested in October 2023 by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam case. The central agency has arrested multiple opposition leaders, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K. Kavitha, in the case.
Vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar then interjected and said to Leader of the House J.P. Nadda that Singh’s appeal should be heeded to.
“He has made a human appeal to increase the jail budget. You should look into it,” said Dhankhar.
YSRCP MP hits out at both NDA and INDIA parties
While the opposition INDIA alliance has accused the BJP of pushing the states of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh to reward its allies JD(U) and TDP by terming the budget a kursi bachao budget and “bribing allies”, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP V Vijayasai Reddy took aim at both the NDA and the INDIA parties.
“The ruling dispensation is giving an impression that Rs 48 lakh crore has been given to Andhra Pradesh. And all members who have spoken till now from the INDIA parties they are also agreeing with that, that entire budgetary resources are being given to Andhra Pradesh. I would like to know from the ruling dispensation and the INDIA parties from the entire budget including the allocations tell me the single pie that has been made to Andhra Pradesh. Let the finance minister answer and the INDIA parties who agreed with the Treasury Benches,” he said.
“Rs 15,000 crores of loan is going to be arranged. Whether the loan that is being arranged can be treated as a grant, you kindly answer and let the INDIA parties answer. The interest, repayment has to be paid by the state government. And the present chief minister is giving an impression to the country and the NDA and the INDIA parties that Andhra Pradesh has got major grants and major resources. Where is it?” he said.
‘Copy-paste’ budget vs ‘Pining for colonial era’
TMC MP Saugata Roy called the budget a “copy paste job” referring to the Congress’ election manifesto and lashed out at Sitharaman by comparing her to her predecessors Manmohan Singh and P. Chidambaram’s educational qualifications.
“This budget speech I read it carefully several times. It is a copy paste job. Congress has already complained that it is taken from their Nyay Patra. I have seen the 26 education loans, it is the exact programme given by the West Bengal government for students..You are not even original. I don’t expect the finance minister to be like Manmohan Singh she is not a PhD from Oxford or like Chidambaram with a management degree from Harvard. She is from our own JNU. But the problem is that she is bereft of new ideas. Then you realise that all the notes come from the PMO. All the notes from PMO she has put it in the budget in copy and paste type,” he said.
BJP MP Baijayant Panda who was the speaker after Roy lauded the Modi government for its “historic third term” and for the success of the PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission. Panda hit back at Roy’s comments on Sitharaman and said that many are “pining for the colonial era”.
“We have heard that this government is like the British Raj which has just been contradicted by my previous speaker who was pining for the colonial era of the 1920’s. There are terms to describe this kind of attitude. The parliamentary term is a westernised oriental gentleman. While you pine for the former masters and the degrees given by their countries, those masters don’t respect you,” he said.
Sibal pushes for a ‘Free education system’
Independent MP and former union minister Kapil Sibal in his speech in the Rajya Sabha said that the government needs to invest in research and development (R&D) and the university system that can create new ideas, invite investors and create wealth and employment.
“All wealth is created in the university system both in the United States and in China. Here you are controlling the university system. Please allow the education system to be free, do not interfere in the education system of our country. Once you give resources to the university they will produce wealth. And this is what agricultural economists have been saying that invest in R&D,” he said.
“What you have done in agriculture is increased it by 5%. That is going to give you nothing. Free your mind from control. You want to control the politics, economics of the country. You cannot control it from Delhi. Give our states freedom, give our citizens freedom, give our women, youth freedom only then India will rise and become Viksit Bharat,” he said.