Hon.
Vice-Chairman, Sir, I thank you for allowing me to make my
maiden speech in this House. I stand here to discuss on the
Budget. Obviously, from the Party’s point of view, I am not in
support of this Budget for various reasons. Both in the President’s
Address and in the Budget presented by the hon. Finance Minister,
the regional aspirations of this country were completely neglected. It
was nowhere shown as to where in this country’s federal structure of
democracy do the regional entities and the regional States stand. I will
restrict myself to Odisha.
As
regards the mandate100
of this Modi Government, I think the Ruling Party is not reading
it correctly. If you see, the Lok Sabha120
has 204 Members from the regional parties. It is a big chunk and it only
goes to show that regional parties play a very important role. This Government
cannot read the writing on the wall, and they all spoke highly about the Modi
Government coming to power for third time, but that is not a single-party
Government. If the regional aspirations are not addressed to, I am
sure this Government will be out very soon.
I
will200 talk
about my State Odisha. Look at the betrayal of Odisha by this
Government. They won 20 seats in Odisha. They have got such a good mandate
in Odisha but they have given ‘zero’ for Odisha. Mr. Naveen Patnaik’s tenure240 as the Chief Minister for five
terms left the State with a surplus of Rs. 46,000 crores. It was not bankrupt;
it was not as bankrupt as Andhra was. In spite of that, in spite of our fiscal
management, we have been neglected even during our five terms. I
don’t know how many times they came running to300 seek our support and we supported them.
They forgot that. Just to win an election, they have created wrong narratives
and cast unparliamentary aspersions on a leader like Mr. Naveen
Patnaik about his health. We accepted the verdict given by the people of
Odisha. But then what have you done for Odisha? Is there a revision of
the coal royalty360 which you
have been seeking for so long? Where are the Highways? If you go to the State, there
is not a single National Highway you can travel on. On the other
hand, look at our State Highways. Look at400
the Biju Expressway. It is an example in this country.
I
don’t know why there is this regional imbalance. Look at Eastern
India. There is neglect of Bengal, neglect of Odisha, neglect of Chhattisgarh,
neglect of Jharkhand. What kind of a Budget is this? This Budget is just
like appeasing two States. Under the BJD regime, the State of Odisha, from the
bottom level of poverty has come to the top. It has helped security in the
State. Under this480 regime,
the food production went to surplus. When the biggest national disaster
happened in 1999, the State was500
devastated. The people were
sending clothes and food to Odisha because it was so badly destroyed by
the cyclone. In the next 20 years, when other States faced the COVID pandemic,
they needed oxygen. When we were getting old clothes for help from
others, we sent oxygen to many States. This is how we had managed, and
yet there is no mention of Odisha anywhere. We need to reach telecommunication
network everywhere as we have 22 per cent tribal population and we do
have the Left-Wing Extremism to tackle with. We have been asking
the Central Government, after600
highways and railway connectivity, that telecommunication has to
reach every nook and corner of the State. Banks need to be opened up
everywhere in Odisha but this demand is repeatedly falling on deaf ears.
When
it comes to floods and national disasters, I think, no other State has so many
natural disasters as Odisha has. We have never been given adequate support by
the Centre and when the Central Government offered something meagre, Naveen
Babu could tell them in the face that the State has its own resources; we don't
need your pittance. You gave money for flood mitigation to700 six States. I won't name them;
they deserve it. But what did you give to Odisha? When it comes to720 Polavaram Project in Andhra Pradesh, it
is funded by the Centre. If this project begins, Koraput District of Odisha will
be submerged in water. There is a river which originates in Odisha. But there
is no discussion about Mahanadi with us. Chhattisgarh has an engine; the
Centre has an engine; and Odisha has an engine. There are three engines, still it
is not working.
There
are major minerals in Odisha such as iron ore, coal, bauxite, and so on. If800 coal does not go from Odisha to other
States, I think, 50 per cent of this country will have no electricity.
The whole country won't be able to produce steel without iron ore, and aluminium
without bauxite. There are Jharkhand,840
Bihar, Bengal and Odisha which contribute a major source of minerals which go
for industrialisation all over the country. What do we get
in return? We have been repeatedly asking for royalty revision. Of
course, I thank the Supreme Court. They have passed a monumental
judgement saying that States can levy their own taxes on minerals and that was our900 State Government’s demand to the Centre
which was never considered. But, today, we thank the Supreme Court for giving
the States this right to levy taxes on the properties of the States
where minerals are found. We are contributing to the national exchequer
in so many ways. It is Odisha's minerals on which the Centre receives crores
and crores of960
rupees. But what do they give to Odisha? Look at the revenue of the
Railways. Extraction of minerals from Odisha earns a whopping amount of money for
the railways. What do they give us? What is there in this Budget1000 itself? Our Railway Minister
should be grateful to BJD because he has come here in this House because
of BJD. But where is Odisha? On tendu leaves, you have 18 per cent GST. What is
this? Can somebody put some sense? Tendu leaves are collected by means of
hard labour. You have 1 per cent GST on diamond, 3 per cent GST on gold. This
is absolutely insensitive and irresponsible. This is not
democracy; this is autocracy. We are a1080
federal democracy where States need to be heard. It is not that we
are begging for something. Give us our1100
rights. We contribute, but what do we get in return? This Government just talks
about double engine and triple engine. I don’t know whether they have
heard or not, but they are redundant engines now. I don’t know if they
understand. They were like Second World War engines or something. Today, in
this House, the Opposition is stronger than the ruling side.1162
