Chennai, February 1 (IANS). DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi and CPI(M) MP from Madurai Su Venkatesan on Sunday targeted the central government over the Budget 2026-27. Both the leaders said that Tamil Nadu and Kerala have been ‘cheated’ in the budget even though assembly elections are to be held in both the states. He called it a budget without vision.
While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in the Lok Sabha, major announcements were expected in view of the upcoming assembly elections in several states including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala. However, opposition leaders say the budget failed to present any meaningful proposals for these sectors.
Posting on social media platform ‘X’, Kanimozhi termed the budget as a “disappointing document without change”. In another post he said that “even the elections have failed to remind the BJP government at the Center about Tamil Nadu.” He alleged that the state was deliberately ignored despite its huge contribution to the national economy.
CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan also made a similar criticism, saying that this budget is not designed to support Tamil Nadu, but to exploit its natural resources. He described it as “the worst budget ever presented by Nirmala Sitharaman” and said it reflected the Centre’s continued indifference towards the needs and aspirations of the southern states.
Venkatesan said the budget announced seven high-speed rail corridors connecting major cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, but made no mention of long-pending projects like the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro Rail. He also expressed displeasure over the non-announcement of any new infrastructure for Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
He also expressed concern over the proposal to set up special economic corridors in mineral-rich states like Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for exploration of rare earth minerals. According to Venkatesan, the move amounts to “exploitation of resources without proper returns” and undermines the rights of states over their mineral resources.
He alleged that the central government has limited the powers of state governments in mineral auctions, while no financial benefits were given in return. Venkatesan also criticized the neglect of Siddha medicine despite the announcement of Ayurveda-related initiatives in the budget and the absence of mention of Keeladi in the proposals related to archaeology.
He said, “This budget does not show any commitment towards public welfare or development. This budget is misleading at every level.”
Both leaders claimed that there are no positive, people-centric steps in the budget and accused the central government of preferring political control over cooperative federalism.
–IANS
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