New Delhi: A day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha of misleading the Parliament, the Rajya Sabha MP hit back on Friday, saying he was not even allowed to reply to her questions. Chadha added that the Finance Minister did not reply to issues he raised.
During a debate in the Parliament on Thursday, Sitharaman called out his claim that the country’s middle class is burdened by taxes. She also argued about how marginal relief would help reduce the tax burden for those earning slightly more than Rs 12 lakh per annum.
Yesterday, in Parliament the Hon’ble Finance Minister made charges against me. Here is my response:
माननीय वित्त मंत्री द्वारा कल अपने भाषण में मुझपे की गई व्यक्तिगत टिपण्णियों पर मेरा जवाब pic.twitter.com/29ubmFEkRn
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) February 14, 2025
‘No reply on issues raised in Rajya Sabha’
“Yesterday the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha that I tried to mislead the house. I was not allowed to even reply to her questions during the debate in the Upper House of the Parliament. I raised several issues in my speech on the Union Budget like the issues faced by passengers while traveling in railways, and financial challenges of the middle class, among others”
He added, “She did not reply on issues raised by me. However, in an example to explain the Income Tax rebate, she made a lot of statements. The tax relief of Rs 12 lakh that is being given is not a tax exemption. It is also not a tax deduction but is a tax rebate only.”
FM tried to prove that the example was wrong: Raghav Chadha
Hitting out at Sitharaman further, Chadha pointed out that the Finance Minister tried to prove that his example was wrong. “If a person earns Rs 13 lakh per annum, will he be required to pay income tax on the entire Rs 13 lakh or not? If you earn even a single over Rs 12 lakh, then you are required to pay income tax on the whole income.”
