RaGa trends as social media questions if Modi 3.0's Budget 2024 is 'copy-paste' of Congress' manifesto

Following Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget for 2024-25 announcement on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, often referred to as RaGa, trended on X (formerly known as Twitter) with 12.7K posts.

During her speech, Sitharaman highlighted India's economic resilience amidst global uncertainties and reported that inflation remains stable, trending towards 4 percent, with core inflation at 3.1 percent. She emphasized the government’s continued commitment to economic stability and growth.

The leader himself labeled the budget as “Kursi Bachao” budget. He accused the government of making hollow promises to appease allies at the expense of other states and providing benefits to cronies without offering relief to the common Indian. He also claimed the budget was a copy-and-paste job from the Congress manifesto and previous budgets.



Meanwhile, social media users drew comparisons between Sitharaman’s proposals and Rahul Gandhi's earlier promises. Notably, there was a claim that the Finance Minister’s announcement of internships for one crore youth in top companies was similar to Gandhi’s “Yuva Nyay” scheme. Gandhi’s scheme promises a right to a one-year apprenticeship for every graduate and diploma holder, including Rs 1 lakh in compensation.

One Twitter user commented: “FM Sitharaman announced internships for 1 crore youth in top 500 companies. This idea seems to have been inspired by Rahul Gandhi’s guarantees. Thank you, RaGa, for guiding these ministers!”

Others took to social media to argue that the budget's focus on youth employment and training mirrored Gandhi’s proposals, suggesting that while Rahul Gandhi is not currently in power, his ideas continue to influence government policy. A tweet read, “Rahul Gandhi may not be in power, but he is still shaping the government's agenda. Shadow PM >>> Entire NDA Government.”


Additionally, Rahul Gandhi’s old parliamentary speeches resurfaced, garnering both support and criticism. One tweet pointed out, “I don’t believe RaGa will change anything if he wins the election, but here he is asking a genuine question to the education minister.”