Budget lacklustre, disappointing, blind to India's real crises: Congress

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Narendra Modi government has run out of ideas as the Budget reflected no policy vision or political will and provided no solutions or even slogans to paper over the absence of substance.

The Congress on Sunday described the Union Budget as ''totally lacklustre'' and blind to India's real crises, saying it did not offer any solution to the country's economic, social and political challenges. The opposition party also alleged that the budget failed the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship as it did not address several challenges identified by the Economic Survey and experts. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Narendra Modi government has run out of ideas as the Budget reflected no policy vision or political will and provided no solutions or even slogans to paper over the absence of substance. ''The Modi government has run out of ideas. Budget 2026 does not provide a single solution to India's many economic, social, and political challenges. '''Mission Mode' is now 'Challenge Route'. Reform Express rarely stops at any 'Reform' Junction. Net result: no policy vision, no political will,'' Kharge said in a social media post. ''This Budget offers no solutions, not even slogans to hide the absence of policy!'' the Congress chief said. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Budget was ''blind to India's real crises'', and highlighted how youngsters are without jobs, manufacturing is falling and farmers are in distress. ''Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks -- all ignored,'' the Congress leader said. ''A Budget that refuses course correction, blind to India's real crises,'' Gandhi said in a post on X. Former finance minister P Chidambaram said the government and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seem to have completely discarded the Economic Survey and fallen back on their ''favourite pastime of throwing acronyms at people''. Noting that the Budget presented this year was not a bold exercise in fiscal prudence and consolidation, Chidambaram said the revenue deficit remained stationary at 1.5 per cent. ''There is nothing wrong with borrowing and spending. But the government should do fiscal consolidation quite rapidly and not as being done at the current rate,'' he said. ''Our verdict is that the Budget speech and the Budget fail the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship,'' Chidambaram told a press conference here, as he listed out sectors where spending has been reduced. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said Sitharaman's speech was ''non-transparent'' as it gave no idea of the budgetary allocations for key programmes and schemes. ''While the documents need to be studied in detail, it is clear after 90 minutes that Budget 2026/27 falls woefully short of the hype that was generated about it. It was totally lacklustre,'' Ramesh said in a post on X. Another Congress general secretary, K C Venugopal, said the Budget was not for common people, but for large corporations and wondered how people could welcome it as there was nothing in it. ''How can people welcome this Budget, there is nothing in it. It is completely hollow,'' he said. ''A listless, heartless budget from a clueless government. What began last session with the axing of MGNREGA has gone forward with massive welfare cuts in the name of 'fiscal discipline','' he said in a post on X, alleging that it was a Budget for nobody except crony capitalists. Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala described the Budget as ''politically directionless'' and ''policy-wise bankrupt''. He said it is a Budget of cuts, cruelty and is completely without direction, as it has slashed welfare allocations. ''This reflects the social injustice written into the budget.'' ''Technical mumbo jumbo, zero substance! Lots of committees, zero deliverables! Not a word for farmers. Not a word for unemployed youth. Not a word for labour. Not a word for SC, ST, OBCs. Not a word for workers. Not a word for social sectors. Not a word for Opposition-ruled states. Reform Express derailed even before leaving the station,'' Surjewala said in post on X. Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said the Budget was ''most disappointing'' as it offered nothing to farmers, youngsters or the country's economy. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor used cricketing analogy to express disappointment over the Budget, saying the finance minister ''seems to have missed the ball''. He said Sitharaman's Budget speech seemed to have ''lots of subheadings but very few specifics'' and was ''completely short'' of an overall vision. Kharge said farmers still await meaningful welfare support or an income-security plan. ''Inequality has surpassed the levels seen under the British Raj, but the Budget does not even mention it or provide any support to SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and minority communities,'' he noted. The Congress president said the Finance Commission's recommendations do not appear to provide any relief to state governments, which are under severe financial stress. ''Federalism has become a casualty,'' he added. Highlighting what was missing, Kharge said there was no revival strategy for manufacturing, and asked, ''Where is 'Make in India'?'' ''Jobs: no serious plan for employability for our youth or increasing participation of women in workforce,'' he said. Sitharaman on Sunday announced measures to boost manufacturing, offered long-term tax incentives for global data centres, and support for agriculture and tourism as she unveiled a Rs 53.5 lakh crore Union Budget for 2026-27, seen as a long-term blueprint for sustaining growth amid rising global risks.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)