Very disappointing, does not bring any happiness into the lives of ordinary people, says Opposition on Union Budget 2026

New Delhi: As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth Union Budget in Parliament, Opposition leaders on Sunday expressed strong disappointment over its provisions, contending that it fails to bring relief or happiness to the lives of ordinary citizens, as farmers, unemployed youth, and the common people have been largely neglected, and several states and key sectors ignored.

Interacting with reporters, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said: “Nothing was mentioned about Kerala; I could not hear anything regarding it. This is somewhat disappointing. However, I would also say that perhaps the details will be in the budget documents. We haven’t read them yet and have only heard the speech so far. The speech contains very few details that are actually necessary for us.”

His fellow Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh termed the budget disappointing and said it lacked the power to energise the country.

“Farmers, unemployed youth, and especially Uttar Pradesh have been neglected. Prayagraj needed a refinery and an AIIMS. People were hopeful that the government would announce something through the budget, but there was no mention. This appears to be either an election-oriented budget or one focused on states where elections are due. Although names were not openly taken, most schemes seem directed towards election-bound states,” he said.

Congress leader Harish Rawat said: “This Budget appears to be buried under the burden of the vision of a developed India by 2047. There is nothing in it for the poor, for farmers, or for women.”

Congress Rajya Sabha member Jebi Mather also criticised the budget for ignoring Kerala.

“It is extremely disappointing for Kerala. We were expecting specific initiatives and high-speed railway projects, but there was nothing. Kerala has once again been ignored, as it has been for years. We hoped that at least some attention would be given, even as a political gesture, but that did not happen,” she said.

Another Congress MP, Shashikant Senthil, said the budget lacked any major policy direction.

“There is nothing in it that can be highlighted as a significant policy decision. It offers nothing substantial for the common citizen, nothing for farmers, and nothing meaningful for MSMEs, except for minor details related to customs duties and procedures,” he said.

Congress MP and former Union Minister Manish Tewari raised concerns about deeper economic issues.

“Structural problems in the Indian economy remain unaddressed. Nominal GDP has been declining for the past 10 years, tax buoyancy is negligible, and revenue inflows are limited. Public capital expenditure has once again been increased, which suggests that private investment is not picking up. Foreign direct investment is also declining. Grand statements do not address these fundamental economic challenges,” he said.

Congress MP Imran Masood described the budget as empty.

“There is nothing substantial in it. It offers nothing for farmers and does not address the impact of tariffs on exporters. Exports have collapsed in regions like Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, yet there is no relief for exporters facing tariff barriers,” he said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malwinder Singh Kang also expressed dissatisfaction.

“We have received only disappointment from this budget. The poor have not received any relief. If tourism is being discussed, Punjab has not been included. Punjab and Haryana have been excluded from expressway projects as well. Overall, there is no relief from inflation,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Kumar Rai said the budget was confusing and disappointing.

“I have been listening to budgets for years, but I have never heard such a confusing and disappointing one. There is nothing in it for anyone. It feels as though this budget has been prepared for a few select corporate houses and merely read out in the Parliament,” he said.

Another Samajwadi Party MP, Neeraj Kushwaha Maurya, said the budget ignores farmers and large states.

“There are no concrete provisions for farmers, and a large state like Uttar Pradesh has found no place in this budget. People are disappointed everywhere. The impact is visible in the stock and commodity markets. It appears that the budget has been framed to benefit the top five per cent of the country, while the common man, the poor, and farmers have been kept out. Even MGNREGA has not been given proper budgetary support,” he said.

Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said she had expected more from the Finance Minister during challenging global times.

“This is a disappointing budget. At a time when the world is going through turbulence, I expected the Finance Minister to address key issues. Today, she was wearing a saree from Tamil Nadu, but Tiruppur has been badly hit, and its issues were not addressed. Exporters and importers have also suffered. There is nothing for common people. If the budget were truly visionary, the stock markets would not have reacted negatively,” she said.

Shiv Sena-UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey said the budget failed to inspire confidence.

“The 2026–27 budget is disappointing and does not bring happiness to ordinary people. We had hoped that since Nirmala Sitharaman was presenting the budget for the ninth time, she would bring something different. Instead, she read the same prepared script. There was no relief in tax slabs and no meaningful mention of employment or startups,” he said.

IANS