First time treasury benches forestall debate, Chidambaram hits back at FM's 'no debate on budget' lament

Rebuffing Sitharaman's "no debate on Budget" remark, Chidambaram pointed out that it was perhaps the first time in Indian parliamentary history that the treasury benches started disruption and forestalled debate.

New Delhi: Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram issued a rebuttal to Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman who expressed anguish over the Parliament not having a debate on the Union Budget. Chidambaram said it was the first time in Indian parliamentary history that the treasury benches started disruption and forestalled debate.

Sitharaman maintained that she was anguished over the Parliament not having a debate on the Union Budget as proceedings in both Houses have been a washout so far. She also accused the Opposition of resorting to diversionary tactics to distract people's attention from the "success story" of the Indian economy.

Chidambaram said, "Hon'ble FM has lamented that there was no debate in Parliament on the Budget. Who was responsible for the Budget being passed without debate? It is for the first time in Indian parliamentary history that the Treasury Benches started the din and disruption and forestalled debate," in a post in Twitter.

In a separate tweet, the Rajya Sabha MP said that according to the World Bank, the five-year average growth of the Modi government (2019-2024) will be 4.08 per cent. "Even the sequential annual growth rates after the Corona-affected year show a declining trend. The only one boasting about the growth rate is the Government," the tweet read.

In her remarks, Sitharaman had said, "I feel very sad as a debate on the Budget would have given me a chance to explain its various positives." The FM asserted that the Modi government has been presenting "honest and transparent" budgets year after year.

Reeling out statistics, the Finance Minister said the buoyance in direct and indirect revenue collections and inflation hovering around its upper tolerance limit amid a sluggish global economy showcases that India remains a fastest growing major global economy. "The Indian economy is a success story," she had said.