New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday used the 'chakravyuh' metaphor as a leit motif to say that an atmosphere of fear pervades the country and allege that the budget's sole aim was to strengthen the framework of monopoly capital, political monopoly and the deep state.

Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Union Budget of 2024-25, Gandhi claimed the fear is spreading through a 'chakravyuh' with everybody trapped in it, including BJP MPs, farmers and workers.

“Thousands of years ago in Haryana, in Kurukshetra, six people killed a youth, Abhimanyu, in a 'chakravyuh'. A 'chakravyuh' has violence and fear. Abhimanyu was trapped and killed in the 'chakravyuh',” he said.

Gandhi's reference was to the Mahabharat legend according to which Abhimanyu was killed in a 'chakravyuh' -- a multi-tiered maze and formation -- in which he was trapped.

He said the 'chakravyuh' is also called a 'Padmavyuha' which is a multi-tiered formation that looks like a lotus (the BJP symbol).

“You build a 'chakravyuh', and we break the 'chakravyuh',” Gandhi said, asserting that the opposition would break this cycle by carrying out a caste census.

“In the 21st century, another 'chakravyuh' has been prepared, it is in the form of lotus and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhinmanyu is being done with youth, women, farmers and MSMEs,” he said.

The Congress leader said the 'chakravyuh' that has captured India has three forces -- the idea of monopoly capital and concentration of financial power; institutions and agencies such as the CBI, ED and IT department; and the political executive.

These three together are at the heart of the 'chakravyuh' and have devastated this country, Gandhi said.

“My expectation was that this budget would weaken this 'chakravyuh'. We expected that it would help farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses. But the sole aim of the business is to strengthen the framework of monopoly business, political monopoly and the deep state or the agencies,” Gandhi said.

“This 'chakravyuh' attacked and destroyed the small and medium business -- this was done through demonetisation and tax terrorism. The budget did nothing to end this tax terrorism...the finance minister did not say a word on paper leak,” Gandhi said.

In his address, Gandhi said the INDIA bloc will ensure that farmers get the legal guarantee for MSP.

Gandhi said the middle class always listened to the prime minister and even clapped and switched on lights of their phones when he asked them to during Covid. But now that class was turning towards the INDIA bloc having been disappointed by this government.