Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday strongly criticized the Union Budget 2026-2027, saying it ignores India’s real crisis and refuses to take any steps towards reforms.
In a post on X, he said the manufacturing sector is declining, investors are pulling out capital and household savings are falling drastically.
Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi also alleged that farmers are in trouble.
He said, “Youth are unemployed. The manufacturing sector is collapsing. Investors are pulling out capital. Household savings are falling drastically. Farmers are in distress. Looming global crises are being ignored. A Budget that refuses to reform is oblivious to India’s real crises.”
It is noteworthy that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget in Parliament on Sunday, which Congress leaders termed as “dull”.
Jairam Ramesh said that no information was given about the budgetary allocation for major programs and schemes in the budget speech.
He said in a post on
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the budget lacks policy foresight and political will to deal with the country’s immediate economic, social and political challenges.
He said the Modi government has no new ideas left and Budget 2026 does not provide a single solution to India’s many economic, social and political challenges.
“‘Mission mode’ has now become ‘challenging route’,” he said in a post on
He wrote, “Inequality has crossed even the levels of the British Raj, but it is not even mentioned in the budget, nor is any assistance provided to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minority Classes and minority communities.”
He said the Finance Commission’s recommendations have to be studied further, but they do not appear to provide any relief to state governments facing severe financial crisis and alleged that federalism has become a victim of it.
He said, “What is missing and where most important: 1. Manufacturing: No revival strategy; stuck at 13%. Where is ‘Make in India’? 2. Employment: No concrete plan to create employment opportunities for our youth or increase women’s participation in the workforce. What yielded the earlier internship and skill development schemes?”
He further wrote, “3. Exports/Trade: No response to declining exports, tariff risks, trade deficit and declining global market share. Any plan for falling rupee? 4. Poor and middle class: No respite from inflation; savings are falling, debt is rising, wages are stagnant. Why no idea of reviving consumer demand? 5. Private investment: No confidence signal – FDI and wage stagnation. Why only minor adjustments, no structural reforms?”
He asked, “Infrastructure: Promises repeated, but not delivered – cities still not livable. When will we get ‘smart cities’ or livable cities? 7. Social Security: No concrete announcement on social security and welfare. Not a word about allocation under the new law that replaced MGNREGA. Why?” He asked.
Kharge said no solutions have been provided in the budget, “not even slogans have been raised to hide the lack of policy”.