Congress's Sachin Pilot criticised the Centre's budget, saying it has little ground impact and snatches the financial cover of the poor. SP's Akhilesh Yadav also expressed scepticism, calling it a 'deform budget' for only 5% of people.
Pilot Criticises Centre's 'Unimpactful' Policies
Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday criticised the central government ahead of the Union Budget, saying it has focused on policies that have little impact on the ground. He also called for measures that provide relief to the poor, farmers, youth, and the middle class. Speaking to the reporters in Udaipur, Pilot said, "Central Govt will present the Budget today. For the past several years, we have seen that the Budget is way for the Govt to express its intent...Despite being in power for years, I think the BJP Govt has focused on issues which are not very impactful on the ground. The Govt has formed a new law to almost scrap MGNREGA. They say that they are reforming it, but the reality is that on average, 35 days of MGNREGA are being used in this country. They are promising 125 days."
"The decisions that used to be taken in villages earlier, in Panchayat, wherein Sarpanch and public representatives used to demand for money and there used to be no shortage of Budget. Now, the Govt has decided the Budget and the work will be imposed by Delhi. So, this Govt is trying to snatch away the financial cover of the poor. They had drafted the 3 black laws with the same stubbornness...We would want that in the coming financial year, they provide relief to the poor, to farmers, to youth and the middle class," he said.
Opposition Protests, Calls It 'Deform Budget'
Meanwhile, ahead of the Union Budget presentation, opposition leaders staged a protest outside Parliament in the national capital. Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Akhilesh Yadav expressed scepticism about the Union Budget, saying past budgets have benefited only a small section of people and urging the government to evaluate whether it has fulfilled its promises. "What expectations can we have from the budget being presented by the govt from whom we don't have any expectations?... In the last few budgets we have seen, it was for only 5% of the people. The govt should assess if it has fulfilled all the promises it had made," Yadav told reporters.
"This is 'deform budget' not reforms budget...This Budget is for 5% of the country's population. BJP just tries to set its own people," he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said, "We have no expectations."
Sitharaman to Present Union Budget
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha today as part of the ongoing Budget session of Parliament.
According to the Lok Sabha List of Business, the House will meet at 11 am. Sitharaman is set to present India's ninth consecutive Union Budget. (ANI)
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