Anupriya Patel's fiery response to Rahul Gandhi: 'You are in shock...your concerns for SC, ST, OBC are a desperate attempt to return to power'

Union Minister and NDA ally Anupriya Patel on Monday hit back at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his charge that the Budget 2024 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not have anything for farmers, the middle class, small businesses and that it was for a "privileged few". She also said that Gandhi's concerns for SC, ST, and OBC were nothing more than a desperate attempt to return to power. 

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi showed a poster of the traditional Halwa ceremony, held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session. He said he could not see one OBC, or tribal, or a Dalit officer in the picture.

Hitting back at Gandhi, Patel said the Congress ruled for decades and if it had worried about the picture of the halwa ceremony, his concerns would appear genuine. "I want to tell the Leader of the Opposition that the Congress ruled this country for the longest time. And if during your tenure you had worried about the picture of the halwa ceremony or the caste census, then today your concerns for the SC, ST, and OBC of this country would have seemed genuine."

"But today, when you express these concerns out of power, the SC, ST, and OBC of this country understand that your concerns are nothing more than a desperate attempt to return to power," the Union Minister said in her fiery speech. 

Patel also responded to the Opposition's claim that the NDA government would collapse. "You are in shock. You spread many rumors and much confusion, but even then the country has endorsed Modi Ji’s leadership for the third time. So, you must accept that the NDA's budget is India's Budget." 

"And those dreams you have of the NDA government collapsing, your dreams of Mungerilal are never going to come true. Our government will last the full five years and will fulfill all its commitments in its third term at three times the speed," she said. 

Speaking on the MSP, which Rahul Gandhi raised in the House and stated legal guarantee was feasible, Patel said the NDA government had included many new crops under the minimum support price in the past ten years. She said during the 10 years of the UPA government, the government purchased crops worth only 45 crore metric tons at MSP, whereas the NDA government purchased 70 crore metric tons of crops at MSP in 10 years. "So, the work of misleading the country's farmers from the floor of Parliament should stop," she said. 

The Union Minister also spoke on the Purvodaya scheme, under which funds were announced for Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. However, the opposition tried to corner the Centre, saying most funds were allocated to Bihar and Andhra because the Modi government was trying to save its government.   

"Our government has taken care of all five states - Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. However, our friends in the opposition became somewhat agitated, particularly about Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. They said these states received much, while the others got nothing, even though all five states will benefit from this scheme. Are Bihar and Andhra Pradesh not part of the country?" she asked. 

The minister slammed the Congress for not fulfilling its duties after bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. "The division of Andhra Pradesh happened during the UPA government and the AP Reorganization Act. Andhra Pradesh needs the central government's help to set up its new capital, and we are providing it. The work you left unfinished, we have completed. And Bihar, after separating from Jharkhand, reports show it has fallen behind; its financial conditions are not good. We are helping our state to improve them." 

"In your eyes, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh may be separate, but not in ours. You talk about 'uniting India' but see the country in fragments. We do not see the country in fragments."

During his address, Gandhi said his expectation was that this Budget would help farmers, youth, labourers, and small businesses. "But what I have seen is that the sole aim of this Budget is to strengthen the framework of monopoly business, of a political monopoly that destroys the democratic structure and of the deep state and the agencies." 

Gandhi said the INDIA alliance would pass guaranteed legal MSP and caste census.