Rahul's Adani Attack, PM's Speech, 'Pathaan': Budget Session Part 1 Highlights

Here are some of the key highlights from the first part of the Budget Session of Parliament.

After a rocky two weeks, the first part of the Budget Session concluded on Monday, 13 February, with the Parliament set to convene again for the second part of the session from 13 March.

Ruckus by Opposition members, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "association" with Gautam Adani, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech were a few of the important developments.

Here are all the key events from the first part of the Budget Session of Parliament.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tables Union Budget 2023

On Wednesday, 1 February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023 before Parliament.

Here are some of the highlights from the Budget:

• Sitharaman announced an increase in the Income Tax Rebate limit from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh.

• She also announced that the agricultural credit target will be increased to Rs 20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries.

• Moreover, under the Eklavya Model Residential Schools, the central government would recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for 740 schools serving 3.5 lakh tribal students over the next thee years.

• Items like cigarettes and electric kitchen chimney will get costlier, while Lithium Ion cells for batteries, mobile phones, etc, will get cheaper.

You can check out more details on the Union Budget 2023 here.

Rahul Gandhi Attacks PM Modi on His 'Association With Adani'

During this session, the Congress party brought out its big guns as Rahul Gandhi addressed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 7 February.

Weighing in on the controversy posed by Hindenburg's report against surrounding billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, the Congress leader said, "Across the entire country, it's just 'Adani', 'Adani', 'Adani'..."

"How many times you (PM Modi) travelled together (on a foreign trip) with Adaniji? How many times Adaniji joined you later on your foreign trip? How many times he reached you after you landed on a foreign country? How many times Adaniji bagged a contract in a foreign country after your visit there? How much money did Adani give to BJP in last 20 years and through electoral bonds?" Gandhi asked in a series of questions directed at PM Modi.

PM Modi Hits Back

A day after Rahul Gandhi posed questions to the prime minister about Adani in the Lok Sabha during the 2023 Budget Session of Parliament, PM Modi hit back, asking how could the people of India "believe these people's lies and curses?"

Without mentioning Adani or directly answering Rahul Gandhi's questions, PM Modi highlighted "India's achievements in the past 9 years."

The prime minister stated that India has seen tremendous progress in the nine years from 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre.

Derek O'Brien Praises Pathaan in Parliament

On Tuesday, 7 February, Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien, during a motion of thanks on President Droupadi Murmu's address, praised the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan in his Rajya Sabha speech.

O'Brien said that the movie carries a beautiful message.

"Well done Siddharth Anand.... Well done India's biggest global ambassadors. Well done those of you who made Pathaan. What we could not do, Shah Rukh Khan, Dimple Kapadia and John Abraham have shown this country. We learnt from them.... Do not mess with India's biggest global ambassadors," the Trinamool Congress leader said.

He added, "You asked them to boycott Bollywood, they showed you one film with a beautiful message."

Owaisi Voices Concerns of Minorities

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the leader of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party, Asaduddin Owaisi, questioned the central government on the daily persecution of Muslims and minorities in the country.

He cited data from the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) that stated that Muslims were the most affected in several categories including primary education, higher education, and nutrition.

In the field of education, the NSSO data states that nearly 25 percent of Muslim children in India fail to complete their education because of poverty and a lack of access to education, he said.

Owaisi added that Muslim children and the children of minorities were the most affected by childhood underfeeding and malnourishment.

He went on to accuse the government of enabling the persecution of minorities in India, despite having data about the same in their possession.