New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS): Union Textiles and Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday attacked former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on his track record in Amethi while intervening in the Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha.

Irani said Gandhi deprived panchayats in Amethi during his tenure as MP. "It is not acceptable for the alleged gentleman to discuss the budget which has provision for rural infrastructure development as he deprived 194 panchayats of 'Panchayat Bhawan' during his tenure in Amethi. I support this budget which fulfills all these needs of Amethi Lok Sabha residents," Irani said.

"Calling constitutionally passed laws as 'black' and not discussing the budget is a violation of the Constitution," she said.

"This budget is the budget to make and make India self-reliant and those who supported the fragment of India in Delhi will never be able to support this budget dedicated to India," Irani said.

Earlier, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur took on Gandhi, saying: "Some people remain absent from the House as well as the country."

"Rahul Gandhi during the allotted time in Lok Sabha for the Union Budget 2021-22 Discussions refused to discuss the announcements relating to the Budget. He attempted to raise the issue of Farm Bills and categorically stated 'I will not comment on the Union Budget'," Thakur said.

"This was quite surprising since the opposition first asked for the Parliament to convene to discuss the economic situation arising due to Covid-19 and the measures adopted by the government in its Budget," Thakur added.

Thakur questioned Rahul Gandhi's lack of preparedness and said, "I can understand the Honourable Member may not have prepared his Budget Speech. He wasn't here for other speeches."

Thakur further said that the Congress had had merely done sloganeering for the poor. "Some raised slogans of Gareebi Hatao, five generations ruled the country but poverty did not go. But the son of a poor man (Narendra Modi) lifted many out of poverty. Some people only make electoral promises and do not deliver."

Thakur pulled up Gandhi for his "Hum do Hamare Do" sloganeering and said it refers to "Didi, brother-in-law and his family".