Protesting farmers demanding 'minimum' support price unlike maximum by corporates: Cong

You are playing vote bank politics in budget and off budget, you are playing note-bank politics, Sibal told BJP

The Opposition on Wednesday targeted the government during the discussion on Budget in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with Congress's Kapil Sibal claiming that the government is promoting crony capitalists and one is seeing the "footprints of one big boy" in every sector while ignoring the "mann ki baat" of farmers.

The ruling BJP countered the Opposition with its MP and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi saying that free food grains and free cylinders supplied by the Narendra Modi government were not going to corporates like Adani, Tatas or Birlas and it was commendable that no new tax was imposed though there was a 23% drop in revenue collection due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The debate was taken up after the Major Ports Authority Bill was passed in the Upper House and Sibal opened the innings for the Opposition.

Sibal accused the government of "having no heart for the poor" and promoting an "oligarchic economic system" in which crony capitalism is thriving.

"There are 4-5 big boys. One boy is everywhere -- coal, airports, rail, gas. I see his footprints everywhere. If you fly in his aircraft, you will have to give the airport to him. The Niti Aayog opposed it, the Ministry of Finance opposed it," Sibal without taking the name of the corporate.

On farmers, he said they were demanding minimum support prices for their produce. "You are not listening to their 'mann ki baat'. You always talk about your 'mann ki baat'...Our farmers are not demanding much. The corporates are demanding exemptions, demanding cuts in taxes. You provide all relaxations what the corporates ask you. You are giving the maximum to corporates when the farmers' demands are minimum," he said.

He also said that since the government has been maintaining that farmers would get more than MSP from private traders under the new laws hence it should not have a problem in giving a legal backing to MSP.

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Sibal also claimed that the Budget was "jugglery of data" and the government was "perpetuating a rigged economic system".

Referring to the announcement of schemes for poll-bound states, he said the ruling party claims that they do not do vote-bank politics. "You are playing vote bank politics in budget and off budget, you are playing note-bank politics," he added.

Countering Sibal's allegation of favouring corporates, Sushil Modi said the NDA government has provided free food grains for the poor during the lockdown. "Did Adani get free gas cylinders? Did Tatas and Birlas get free food grains?" Modi shot back.

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He said the Budget lays the foundation for a strong and self-reliant India. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the timely lockdown, he said it prevented the loss of lives.

It was commendable that despite a 23% drop in revenue collection due to Covid-19, the government did not impose any new tax.

"When developed countries like the United States were facing challenges to extend direct financial assistance to their people, India undertook one of the largest direct fund transfer schemes benefitting large sections of people," he said adding that the budget will boost reforms in the country.