Parliament turned into a battleground today amid sharp exchanges on the Union Budget 2026-27 and Rahul Gandhi’s controversial speech. Ruling party leaders patted themselves on the back for the fiscal blueprint, but opposition voices, led by SP’s Zia Ur Rehman Barq, decried it as a betrayal of ordinary citizens. ‘PM Modi and team are self-congratulatory, but the public feels cheated—youth and women forgotten,’ Barq told IANS.
Barq also touched on persistent harassment of madrasa operators in UP, crediting high court stays for relief. He dismissed vague allegations, insisting community support keeps these centers running, and accused the government of anti-Muslim bias.
Tensions peaked over Gandhi’s invocation of an unreleased book while responding to the President’s address. BJP’s Harsh Malhotra didn’t mince words: ‘He has no clue what speaking entails—purely venting spleen off-topic.’ Kangana Ranaut went further, calling it an outrage: ‘Rule-breaking hooliganism based on a non-existent book. No regard for Parliament.’
SP’s Javed Ali Khan clarified foreign funding scrutiny is Home Ministry territory, not for politicians to preempt. Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant advised against dredging up 2005 remarks amid today’s tech-driven changes, recalling fewer temple-mosque disputes back then.
Neeraj Maurya of SP criticized the Chair for stifling opposition discourse, arguing even flawed points deserve a hearing. Shrikant Shinde emphasized procedural sanctity, questioning if Gandhi’s stature demands better judgment on what to cite in the House.
Nishikant Dubey jabbed at Gandhi’s free speech limits, noting his blank response when pressed on the book’s authorship. This flare-up highlights fragile parliamentary harmony, as budget debates morph into personal and procedural showdowns.