Deepender accuses govt of doublespeak on defence forces

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 12

Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda on Friday attacked the Modi government in the Rajya Sabha and said Budget proposals were inconsistent with the ideals the Centre claimed to represent. He said while the government never got tired of flaunting its admiration for the defence forces, the allocation for the pension of defence personnel saw a drop (compared to FY 2020-21) in the Budget.

“The government talked of becoming ‘aatmanirbhar’ in research and development, but the allocation for scientific research has dropped,” Deepender pointed out.

He said funding for the physically challenged had also seen a cut in the Budget, despite the government’s claim of being “sensitive” to the needs of marginalised sections.

“This government has the highest rate of unemployment and the highest fuel rates in 70 years….It has created a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Only one per cent of the Indians hold 73 per cent of the total assets. There has been an increase of Rs 13 lakh crore in the wealth of 11 rich Indians,” claimed Deepender.

Accusing the government of betraying farmers, the MP said there was hope that the Budget would address their problems. “But rather than giving relief, the government has reduced the agricultural budget by 8.5 per cent,” said the Congress leader. He accused the government of looking at the farm sector from the perspective of rich corporates. “Why is the government reluctant to legalise minimum support price?” he said.