Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday targeted the government by citing the photo of ‘Halwa Ceremony’ to be held before the Union Budget in the House. He said that ‘the pudding of the budget is being distributed but the country is not getting it’. Hearing Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was sitting in front, laughed and held her forehead.
However, Speaker Om Birla did not allow Rahul Gandhi to show the photo. Referring to the photo, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘I want to explain this photo. This budget pudding is being distributed. In this photo I do not see any OBC officer, no tribal officer, no Dalit officer. What is this happening. The country’s pudding is being divided and 73 percent of it is nowhere to be found. On this comment of Rahul Gandhi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sitting in front held her forehead.
‘The country is not getting halwa’
Rahul further said, ‘You people are eating halwa and the rest of the country is not getting halwa. We have found out that 20 officers have prepared the budget, I have their names, which means that 20 people have done the work of distributing the pudding to India. Of those 20 people, out of 90 per cent, there are only two, one minority and one OBC and not even one is in this photo. Meaning you turned back in the photo. Was not allowed to appear in the photo.
’95 percent people want caste census’
He said, ‘I wanted the issue of caste census to be raised in the budget. 95 percent people want caste census. Dalits want it, tribals want it, backward classes want it, poor general category people want it, minorities want it because everyone has to find out how much our participation is.
Rahul said, ‘I am seeing that the government keeps distributing halwa and who is distributing it to the same 2-3 percent people and who is distributing it to the same 2-3 percent people… The Finance Minister is smiling, it is amazing. This is no laughing matter, madam. The country will change with the caste census.