NEW DELHI : Leader of Opposition  Rahul Gandhi has told the Lok Sabha that he is not going to be cornered like Abhimanyu, but has entered the political arena with the preparation to penetrate like Arjun, citing the metaphor of Chakravyuh.
Dramatic tussle was witnessed between the opposition and the ruling party during the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Monday, as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly prevented from naming businessmen Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani during his speech. While Sansad TV and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla did not let him show Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s picture from the Budget Halwa ceremony.

Earlier too, Gandhi’s references to both Ambani and Adani were removed from the parliamentary record. In his speech, Gandhi made a reference to the Mahabharata legend where Abhimanyu was killed in a Chakravyuh he was trapped in and said it is also known as Padmavyuh (lotus, the symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)). “In the 21st century, there is a new Chakravyuh and the Prime Minister wears that symbol on his chest. What was done to Abhimanyu is being done to the youth, women, farmers and MSMEs,” said Rahul. Gandhi said that while a Chakravyuh has thousands of people, it is controlled by six people.
“This Chakravyuh is also controlled by six people; Modi, Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval and Adani and Ambani,” he said. “If you want, I will take back the names of NSA, Ambani and Adani,” he said. “My hope was that this budget will weaken this ‘chakravyuh’. This budget will help farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses. But the sole purpose of business is to strengthen this structure of political monopoly that destroys the democratic structure – big monopoly business,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“Before this budget, the middle class would have probably supported Narendra Modi. During Covid, when the Prime Minister asked the middle class to beat utensils, they did so. When he said turn on the lights of their mobile phones, they did so. Now in this budget, you have stabbed the middle class once on the back and once in the chest. You want India to be confined to small boxes and the poor people of the country cannot dream. Only Adani and Ambani…” He said, when Gandhi once again named Adani and Ambani, Birla interrupted him and reminded him of Gaurav Gogoi’s letter. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stood up to make his point, but Gandhi refused to budge.
Gandhi said he would prefer to call Adani Ambani A1 and A2. He alleged that the Union minister has received “orders from the top” to defend them. “I understand the minister has to defend A1 and A2. During Modi’s speech in the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s address last month, the Opposition had raised slogans throughout his nearly two-hour speech demanding justice for Manipur, which has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3, 2023.
Heated scenes were witnessed when Gandhi showed a picture of the traditional ‘Halwa’ ceremony, which is performed a day before the presentation of the Budget. When Gandhi tried to show a picture of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with Finance Ministry officials, Sansad TV showed Birla instead of Gandhi every time. Gandhi alleged that the cameras were turned away from him and towards Birla.
However, the Agneepath scheme, which has been criticised bitterly by the Opposition, was today the subject of a heated exchange between Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha. The minister accused the Opposition leader of spreading misinformation and misleading people on the matter and offered to discuss the issue in the House. Mr Gandhi had claimed that the Agneepath scheme deprived the country’s soldiers and their families of financial security and dignity. He alleged that the scheme exposed the government’s “anti-youth and anti-farmer” inclination.

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