Rahul Gandhi targets Ambani, Adani in Lok Sabha address

The ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament saw a fiery exchange today as Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, took a notable swipe at Kiren Rijiju, making pointed references to business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Addressing the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Union Budget 2024, Gandhi accused the government of favoring corporate giants, implying their undue influence in policy decisions.

The session, which began on July 22, has seen sharp divisions between the opposition and the government. Opposition parties have criticized the Union Budget 2024 as "discriminatory," while the government has defended it as “visionary.” The discussion marks a significant moment in the budget session, which is scheduled to continue until August 12.

In today’s proceedings, several key activities took place:

- Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Pankaj Chaudhary, Shobha Karandlaje, Kirtivardhan Singh, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Sukanta Majumdar, and Harsh Malhotra laid papers on the table of the Lok Sabha.

- Union Minister Bhupender Yadav moved a motion for the election of two members to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, as mandated by the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972.

- In the Rajya Sabha, Union ministers Kinjarapu RamMohan Naidu, Rao Inderjit Singh, Shripad Yesso Naik, Shobha Karandlaje, Satish Chandra Dubey, Tokhan Sahu, and Raj Bhushan Choudhary also laid papers on the table.

- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced a bill authorizing the payment and appropriation of funds from the Consolidated Fund of Jammu and Kashmir for the financial year 2024-25.