During a Rajya Sabha discussion on the Union Budget, Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge humorously referred to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as 'Mataji' (mother), prompting a correction from House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Dhankhar playfully noted that Sitharaman should be considered "like a daughter" to Kharge, which elicited laughter from both the Treasury and Opposition benches.
In his speech, Kharge criticized the Budget for allegedly favoring only Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, suggesting that other states were neglected. He expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "I have never seen a Budget like this. This Budget was meant for appeasement and to save their chair. We condemn this."
Dhankhar intervened to remind Kharge to allow Sitharaman to respond. Sitharaman defended the Budget, stating it did not ignore any state and criticized the Opposition for misleading the public. She cited an example from Maharashtra, where despite a significant project like the Vandhavan port, the state was not specifically mentioned in her speech. Sitharaman argued that this does not imply that Maharashtra or any other state was neglected by the central government.
