Union Budget 2026 underwhelming, fails citizens: Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the Union Budget 2026 as 'underwhelming,' criticizing its failure to address citizens' economic anxieties, persistent unemployment, foreign policy priorities like the Chabahar Port, and Kerala's demands.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday described the Union Budget 2026 as "underwhelming", saying it fails to address the everyday economic anxieties of ordinary citizens, persistent unemployment, key foreign policy priorities, and long-pending demands of Kerala, even in an election year.

Reacting to the budget, Tharoor said to ANI, "I think that, honestly, this is an underwhelming budget. It's one where a number of things have disappointed us."

'Underwhelming' on Economic Front

Referring to fiscal deficit targets, he acknowledged the marginal improvement but questioned the celebration around it. "You mentioned fiscal deficit, and indeed, it's good that there's been enough discipline that we can go down from 4.5 to 4.4 and look forward to 4.3. But I've been in Parliament long enough to remember the Finance Minister's predecessor, the late Arun Jaitley, announcing a fiscal deficit of 3.5 per cent as his target. We are far from that and applauding a much higher number today," Tharoor said.

Tharoor said the real test of the budget lies in its impact on people's lives. "What I think about is the aam aadmi in this country. Is there enough money in his pocket? Very clearly not," he said, pointing to household stress. "You're seeing a dramatic increase in credit card debt every day," he added.

On employment, the Congress MP said joblessness continues to trouble the country, particularly educated youth. "If you're looking at jobs, unemployment has been continuing to bother people, particularly the employed in the educated sector," he said, citing examples of massive competition for low-level posts.

"There are so many anecdotes of positions being advertised in the railways, a peon position, a head constable position, and you get over a thousand applications per post. These are not just the eight standard or ten standard qualifications that are required for the job; these are college graduates and PhDs because they have no adequate employment," Tharoor said, adding that "that's something the government has not addressed specifically in this budget."

Foreign Policy Concerns

Raising foreign policy concerns, Tharoor questioned the absence of allocation for Iran's Chabahar Port. "Last year they had announced Rs 100 crores for the Chabahar port in the budget estimates. Then that went up to Rs 400 crores in the revised estimates, and this year's budget is zero, which looks like we're giving up on the port," he said.

He added that while sanctions and geopolitical pressures may pose challenges, the move sends a worrying signal. "It may be true that there are practical obstacles. If everything is sanctioned, how do you spend money? And what happens to those who do go there? Because those companies will be sanctioned by the West. Even Indian companies will be sanctioned. So that may be the reason. But it does look like it's a surrender to a particular policy that has been imposed from the outside on Iran," Tharoor said, noting that "the very fact that there is no money in the budget suggests that."

'Profound Disappointment' for Kerala

Speaking as a Member of Parliament from Kerala, Tharoor expressed deep disappointment over the lack of attention to the state. "One thing that I will say as an MP from Kerala is my profound disappointment that even in an election year, the BJP did not see fit, the government did not see fit to give my state what its fair share," he said.

On rare earth projects, he cautioned against expecting quick results. "There are precious sands in Kerala that could be mined, but this is a 15-year project. Mining rare earths, creating the infrastructure, then processing and refining rare earths is a very long-term, highly investment-requiring activity. We're 15 years away from seeing the fruits of that," he said, adding that "in the meantime, our dependence continues."

Tharoor also flagged the absence of support for Kerala's inland waterways and ports. "We've had an announcement of ship repair in Patna and Varanasi, but Kerala has more inland waterways than any other Indian state, and there's been no mention of Kerala," he said.

Referring to the Verenium Port in his constituency, he added, "We have the magnificent Verenium Port, which is the biggest container terminal in India, where the largest ships in the world are able to dock, but no mention of any support for it. It needs better connectivity into the hinterland -- road and rail connectivity."

He further noted that a long-standing promise remains unfulfilled. "We've been promised the AIIMS in the very first NDA budget 12 years ago. It still has not become reality," Tharoor added.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, her ninth consecutive Union Budget.

Asserting that the Union Budget 2026-27 is driven by "Yuvashakti" and based on "three kartavyas," Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors, and the operationalisation of 20 national waterways over the next five years as part of the Union Budget. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)