Agartala, February 3: Opposition CPIM affiliated farmers organization, All India Kishan Sabha’s Tripura unit, demonstrated a protest against the interim budget recently presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.
The demonstration unfolded with symbolic acts, including the burning of copies of the budget, highlighting the intensity of their opposition.
At the forefront of the protest was Pabitra Kar, a former Minister and convenor of Tripura unit of All India Kishan Sabha (AIKS), who vehemently criticized the budget, labeling it as anti-farmer and anti-people.
Kar asserted that the budget lacked substantive measures to address the concerns of the rural economy and the agricultural sector.
A key grievance voiced by the protesters centered around the perceived inadequacy of the budget in supporting agriculture and allied activities.
According to AIKS statements, the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25 are anticipated to witness the lowest spending on agriculture in the last five years.
Furthermore, an alarming revelation was made that the allocation for agriculture and allied activities in the 2024-25 budget had seen a staggering cut of 81 thousand crores when compared to the previous fiscal year, 2022-23.
The protest, fueled by dissatisfaction with the budgetary allocations, extended its scope beyond Agartala.
AIKS has called for a nationwide protest, declaring February 16 as ‘Grameen Bharat Bandh’ (Rural India Strike), urging all its units to join in raising their voices against the perceived shortcomings of the budget.
Within this context, there is a growing sentiment among the protestors that the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government is attempting to create a misleading narrative around the Union Budget 2024-25 (Interim), labeling it as “innovative and inclusive.” AIKS, however, asserts that the hard reality contradicts this narrative, pointing out that 2023-24 and 2024-25 are projected to witness the lowest spending on agriculture and allied activities in the past five years.
This wave of dissent is not confined to Agartala alone. Similar protests orchestrated by AIKS have been reported in Udaipur in the Gomati district and Bishalghar in the Sepahijala district of Tripura, underscoring the widespread concern and discontent among farmers and agricultural communities in the region.
