Union Budget ignored Maharashtra, failed to instil confidence: Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said with the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has not instilled any confidence in citizens about addressing economic instability, and has ignored Maharashtra, the largest contributor to the governments treasury. Maharashtra, the largest contributor to the Union governments treasury, is not even an afterthought.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said with the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has not instilled any confidence in citizens about addressing economic instability, and has ignored Maharashtra, the largest contributor to the government's treasury. Taking to X, the former Maharashtra minister took a dig at the BJP government, saying it would truly be a ''gift'' for India if it thought about issues beyond elections. ''Maharashtra, the largest contributor to the Union government's treasury, is not even an afterthought. Be it GDP, GST, Income Tax, Maharashtra is the largest contributor and proportionally most ignored,'' he wrote in his post. He said that in the Union Budget, the government is supposed to be speaking for the entire nation. The nation comprises states, and over the last decade, the BJP has changed the rules. Thackeray sought more clarity on the announcement regarding high-speed railway corridors between Mumbai and Pune and seven other cities as growth connectors, and questioned whether the Centre or the state government would fund the project. ''The FM has conveniently ignored to instil any confidence in citizens over the economic instability, geopolitics and the falling rupee that her party once caused national chaos over,'' he said. The Sena (UBT) leader also criticised the announcement about the development of city economic regions (CERs), with a proposed allocation of Rs 5,000 crore per region over five years. The announcement is a major joke after wrapping up a ''failed Smart City programme'' after over a decade, with no clarity, he said. Thackeray also pointed out that there is no real backing for climate action in the country, which is so vulnerable to climate change, be it rural or urban areas. The government is clueless and visionless on climate action, he said. He alleged that Sitharaman seemed to have either forgotten or successfully eradicated the four castes she had identified in 2024 - women, farmers, youth and poor/needy. ''There's nothing concrete to create meaningful employment. Yes, data centres are good, but they don't create jobs. We need concrete steps for protecting and increasing jobs,'' he said.

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