Nirmala Sitharaman's facepalm moment in the Lok Sabha has gone viral. The incident occurred when Rahul Gandhi criticized the traditional pre-Budget 'Halwa' ceremony for its lack of diversity, pointing out the absence of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Adivasis in the preparation process. Gandhi highlighted that out of the 20 officers involved in preparing the budget, only one belonged to a minority community and one to the OBC category. He claimed that 73% of India's population was not represented.

As Gandhi spoke, Sitharaman placed her hands over her face and gave a disapproving nod. Noticing this, Gandhi remarked, "The Finance Minister is laughing. It is quite astonishing. This is not a laughing matter, madam. This is about caste census. It will change the country."

Gandhi also accused the Budget of favoring big businesses and promoting political monopoly, which he argued undermines the democratic structure.

In response, the BJP countered Gandhi's criticism. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh posted pictures of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation's board members, which included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and P Chidambaram, asking which of them belonged to OBC, SC, and ST categories. "Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Board for your perusal. Identify OBCs, SCs and STs for the use of the Congress and its troll army," Santhosh wrote on X.

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya accused the Congress of being "anti-SC/ST and OBC" since Independence. He pointed out that the Congress kept the Kelkar Committee recommendation for the Backward Commission made in 1957 in cold storage until PM Modi gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission in 2018, despite Congress' opposition.

Rahul Gandhi also drew parallels from the Mahabharata, attacking the BJP over the Budget, stating that there is an atmosphere of fear in the country and that it is now trapped in a "Chakravyuh of lotus," referring to the BJP's symbol.

Nirmala Sitharaman's facepalm moment in the Lok Sabha has gone viral. The incident occurred when Rahul Gandhi criticized the traditional pre-Budget 'Halwa' ceremony for its lack of diversity, pointing out the absence of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Adivasis in the preparation process. Gandhi highlighted that out of the 20 officers involved in preparing the budget, only one belonged to a minority community and one to the OBC category. He claimed that 73% of India's population was not represented.

As Gandhi spoke, Sitharaman placed her hands over her face and gave a disapproving nod. Noticing this, Gandhi remarked, "The Finance Minister is laughing. It is quite astonishing. This is not a laughing matter, madam. This is about caste census. It will change the country."

Gandhi also accused the Budget of favoring big businesses and promoting political monopoly, which he argued undermines the democratic structure.

In response, the BJP countered Gandhi's criticism. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh posted pictures of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation's board members, which included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and P Chidambaram, asking which of them belonged to OBC, SC, and ST categories. "Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Board for your perusal. Identify OBCs, SCs and STs for the use of the Congress and its troll army," Santhosh wrote on X.

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya accused the Congress of being "anti-SC/ST and OBC" since Independence. He pointed out that the Congress kept the Kelkar Committee recommendation for the Backward Commission made in 1957 in cold storage until PM Modi gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission in 2018, despite Congress' opposition.

Rahul Gandhi also drew parallels from the Mahabharata, attacking the BJP over the Budget, stating that there is an atmosphere of fear in the country and that it is now trapped in a "Chakravyuh of lotus," referring to the BJP's symbol.