Union Budget 2026 falls short of expectations in poll-bound West Bengal
The Hindu
West Bengal leaders criticise the 2026-27 Budget for lacking support, while BJP highlights infrastructure plans to boost the economy.
Union Budget 2026-27 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday (February 1, 2026) fell short of expectations of the people of poll bound West Bengal.
The Finance Minister announced that one of the “High-Speed Rail corridors” between cities as “growth connectors” will connect Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri in West Bengal. The Budget also announced a new dedicated freight corridor connecting Dankuni in the East, to Surat in the West.
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Ms. Sitharaman in her Budget speech also emphasised on “Purvodaya” and proposed the development of an integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor with a well-connected node at Durgapur in South Bengal. The initiative has proposed creation of five tourism destinations in the five Purvodaya States, and the provision of 4,000 e-buses.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Budget had nothing to offer to people of the State. “It is directionless, visionless, mission less, and actionless. The economy is derailed. The budget is anti-poor, anti-youth, anti-women, and anti-farmer. The budget is anti-SC, ST, and OBC,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee said that the freight corridor from Dankuni that has been mentioned in this Budget was announced by her during the 2009 Railway Budget. “There, I mentioned Dankuni to Amritsar. It has been pending for more than 15 years,” she said. The Chief Minister also referred to the markets reacting negatively to the Budget.
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