Nirmala Sitharaman Facepalms As Rahul Gandhi Criticises Budget 2024 Over Lack of OBC, Dalit, Tribal Officers In Halwa Ceremony

The Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Union Budget 2024 in the Parliament on July 23. The Parliament's Budget session began on July 22 and is scheduled to conclude on August 12.

The Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, today (July 29) addressed the Lower House (Lok Sabha) on Union budget 2024 in the Parliament Budget session. During his speech, Rahul Gandhi criticised the lack of diversity among the officers who prepared the Union Budget 2024.

The Halwa Ceremony Controversy

As part of his address, Rahul Gandhi highlighted a photo of the traditional Halwa ceremony, a ritual held at the Ministry of Finance before the Budget session. This ceremony symbolises the finalisation of the budget, with halwa being distributed among the officers.

Rahul Gandhi pointed out the absence of officers from OBC, tribal, and Dalit communities in the photo.

Highlighting the photo, Rahul Gandhi said, "In this photo of the Halwa ceremony, I can't see one OBC or tribal or a Dalit officer. The country's halwa is being distributed, but 73% of the population is not represented. Twenty officers prepared the Budget of India, yet there is no representation from these communities."

Finance Minister’s Reaction

During Rahul Gandhi's address, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was seen reacting to the Gandhi's halwas address with a facepalm followed by a moment of laughter.

Netizens Reaction

Some of the recent responses from netizens to the Parliament's Budget session have been mixed.