Budget 2026 woefully short of hype: Congress slams Nirmala Sitharaman's speech
India Today
Budget 2026 woefully short of hype: Congress calls Nirmala Sitharaman's speech non-transparent
Opposition parties on Sunday trained their guns on the Union Budget 2026-27, with the Congress calling Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's presentation "woefully short of the hype" and lacking clarity on spending priorities.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that even after a 90-minute speech, the budget failed to offer a clear picture of allocations for major schemes and programmes.
"While the documents need to be studied in detail, it is clear that Budget 2026-27 falls woefully short of the hype generated around it. It was totally lacklustre. The speech was also non-transparent since it gave no idea whatsoever of budgetary allocations for key programmes," he said in a post on X.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also played down expectations, saying "she did not have much hope from the Modi government's Budget".
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was more scathing, alleging that the government designs its budgets for a small elite. "What can one expect from a government from which there is no hope? This budget is made for five per cent of the people. Did the government live up to the promises it made in its manifesto?" he said while speaking to reporters in Delhi.
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, however, struck a cautious note ahead of detailed reactions. "Let us hear the Budget. I can't talk of my expectations or make comments without listening to it," he said.
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