NEW DELHI, Feb 1: Opposition parties across India strongly criticised the Union Budget 2026-27, describing it as “hollow,” “directionless,” and disconnected from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.
The Congress termed the Budget “totally lacklustre,” asserting that it failed to provide solutions to India’s pressing economic, social, and political challenges.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Budget reflected no policy vision or political will, offering neither practical measures nor even slogans to mask the absence of substance
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi pointed out that the Budget ignored issues such as rising unemployment among youth, declining manufacturing output, farmer distress, falling household savings, and looming global economic shocks.
He described it as a “Budget that refuses course correction.”
Former finance minister P. Chidambaram criticised the government and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for disregarding the Economic Survey and relying on acronyms rather than meaningful economic strategy, declaring that the Budget fails the test of economic statesmanship.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the speech “non-transparent,” noting that it offered no clarity on allocations for key programs and schemes.
Regional leaders across the country also expressed deep dissatisfaction.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it a “directionless and visionless Humpty Dumpty”
Budget, claiming it offered nothing for the common people or her state, and alleged that allocations for key sectors had been slashed.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee described it as “faceless, baseless, and visionless” and accused the Centre of ignoring West Bengal. Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the Budget exposed the government’s continued neglect and discrimination against southern states.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin criticised the Budget for overlooking his state’s needs, claiming it offered nothing for the poor, women, farmers, or marginalized communities.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the government of presenting a Budget that benefits only the “top 5 per cent,” noting the stock market crash as evidence of its economic mismanagement.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati raised concerns about the future effectiveness of the announced schemes and projects.
Left parties also condemned the Budget as “anti-people and anti-federal.” CPI(M) argued that it exacerbates inequality while favouring the wealthy.
CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar said the Budget demonstrated a deliberate choice to overlook ordinary citizens’ hardships while concentrating power and resources in fewer hands.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal warned it would fuel inflation and unemployment, while RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said it failed to address rising income inequality and joblessness.
In summary, opposition leaders from Congress, TMC, CPI(M), DMK, AAP, BSP, and RJD jointly condemned the Union Budget as visionless, hollow, and anti-people.
They highlighted its neglect of farmers, youth, marginalized communities, and ordinary citizens, arguing that it primarily serves large corporations and concentrates wealth, failing to provide any meaningful solutions to India’s economic, social, and political crises.(PTI)
