The presentation of Union Budget 2025 began on a stormy note in Parliament as several opposition leaders, led by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, staged a walkout over the Maha Kumbh stampede issue. However, they soon returned, calling the move a “symbolic walkout.”
Â
As soon as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began her Budget speech, Akhilesh Yadav and his party MPs started raising slogans, demanding a discussion on the Maha Kumbh stampede in which 30 pilgrims were killed. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla informed the opposition parties and Akhilesh Yadav that they will be given a chance to discuss their issues. He also urged Akhilesh Yadav to maintain decorum in the Parliament. “This has never happened before during a budget speech. This is not acceptable.”
)
A pre-dawn stampede at Maha Kumbh during Mauni Amavasya on January 29 left nearly 30 people dead and 60 injured, the police said on January 31.
The Samajwadi Party demanded that the government release the list of people who lost their lives in the Maha Kumbh stampede, according to a report by ANI.
Before presenting her eighth budget, Sitharaman met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before heading to Parliament. President Murmu offered ‘dahi-chini’ (curd-sugar), considered auspicious, to Sitharaman before she left for Parliament to present the Union Budget
On Friday, as the Budget session commenced, Akhilesh Yadav shifted the focus to the Maha Kumbh tragedy, which claimed the lives of 30 people and left 60 others injured. “Budget will be discussed later, in this session, and today we need to talk about peace for those who lost their lives in Kumbh,” he said.
Akhilesh Yadav on Maha Kumbh stampede
Akhilesh Yadav also slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stating, “The government is hiding the number of people who died in Kumbh as they don’t want to pay the compensation.”
He called for transparency and demanded accountability from the Uttar Pradesh administration, further urging the government to release a public list of people who died. “The families of the deceased must be informed at the earliest, and a list of all those who lost their lives should be made public… It’s the government’s mistake. It’s still hiding things”, he added.
For More News Update, Follow Read Now News