The Union Budget 2024, which was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, has been drawing massive flak from the opposition. Besides Congress, TMC, and AAP's criticism, Shiromani Akai Dal's Harsmirat Kaur Badal also lashed at the Centre and called its budget a "sarkar bachao budget". Countering the SAD MP's reaction on the budget, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri made a big revelation during the ABP Shikar Sammelan.


He said that Harsimrat Kaur Badal was present with him in the Cabinet when the Farm laws were being discussed and she welcomed them. However, as she went out she flipped and voiced her opinion against them.


"I would like to ask them how much the MSP has increased and if not Punjab then in which state is the MSP being sent. Besides this, there are highways being constructed in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur..an industrial corridor is being built from Amritsar to West Bengal and Maharashtra... who will benefit from this?" he added.


The Union Minister also said: "This is not the right place to talk about a state government but I am happy and feel satisfied that the SAD broke the alliance. As a result, our vote share increased in Punjab by three per cent, while their party is on the verge on extinction."



Harsimrat Kaur Badal's Reaction On Union Budget


SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for "doing nothing for Punjab floods" and called it "sarkar bachao budget".


'I had said this yesterday as well, that this is a 'sarkar bachao budget'... Its as if no one else exists. They talk about floods but they did nothing for the floods in Punjab."


She alleged that the Centre did nothing for farmers, youth, and the state of Punjab in the past six budgets and said it was a "discriminatory" budget.


Calling the NDA government "crippled," she further said: "There is nothing for the farmers despite promises made to them... Punjab has not been paid attention to for the last 6 budgets... Before the AAP government in Punjab, Congress was in power and had promised to waive farmer loans, but nothing was done. SAD is the only party who is raising the voice of farmers..."






During the ABP Shikhar Sammelan, the Union Minister also said that the opposition neither knows anything about the budget nor has it read the budget.


Puri stated that through this budget, India has laid the foundation to become the third largest economy from the Fragile Five.