New Delhi witnessed a sharp exchange in the Rajya Sabha during the budget debate as BJP MP Surendra Singh Nagar took aim at former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s critique of the government’s economic record. Chidambaram, representing the Congress, had unleashed a barrage of financial statistics to highlight what he called governmental shortcomings. But Nagar wasn’t buying it.
‘Speaking in the House, Chidambaram made it sound like nothing is happening in the country,’ Nagar retorted on Tuesday. ‘Twisting and turning data to suit his narrative is his specialty.’ Drawing from his own experiences listening to Chidambaram during his tenure as Finance Minister, Nagar emphasized the veteran’s knack for selective presentation of figures.
Turning the spotlight on the budget itself, Nagar described it as a mirror reflecting India’s economic health and a roadmap toward Viksit Bharat by 2047. ‘This budget sets the direction for the next 25 years of nation-building,’ he declared. He outlined three key pillars: boosting productivity and competitiveness, empowering the youth by meeting their aspirations, and ensuring equitable access to resources across every family, community, sector, and region.
Nagar highlighted remarkable strides in defense exports, now surpassing Rs 23,000 crore, and India’s pivotal role in global GDP growth—second only to China with a 17% contribution. He praised the Prime Minister’s Prguru portal for completing nearly 3,300 stalled projects worth Rs 85 lakh crore since 2014, from Jammu & Kashmir’s long-delayed rail line to Assam’s iconic bridge.
On farmers, Nagar pointed to Haryana’s BJP double-engine government as the only one guaranteeing MSP on over 24 crops. ‘Villages have transformed— from one or two tractors per village to 40 today. That’s real purchasing power growth,’ he said. Infrastructure too has surged, with unprecedented budget hikes for roads and highways under the Modi government, proving action over mere rhetoric.