'Is the Union Budget 2026-27 Visionless, Directionless, and Anti-Poor?' Mamata Banerjee Questions
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Kolkata, Feb 1 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, criticized the Union Budget for 2026-27, describing it as “lacking vision, direction, and filled with falsehoods”, claiming that no financial support has been allocated to the state.
Addressing reporters outside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Banerjee asserted that the budget is detrimental to the nation’s economy.
“This 2026-27 financial budget, introduced by the central government, is utterly directionless, visionless, missionless, and actionless. The economic situation is in disarray. It is anti-women, anti-poor, anti-farmers, anti-youth, anti-commoners, anti-SC, anti-ST, and anti-OBC... There has been no funding for education.... Education subsidies have decreased, social security subsidies have diminished, and fertilizer subsidies have fallen. This budget is nothing but a heap of lies,” she stated.
Claiming that West Bengal has received no funding, Banerjee remarked: “They have not allocated a single paisa to Bengal. The only tax imposed is GST. They are appropriating our resources while claiming to provide support. It is our money.... Hence, they lack the moral authority to govern and lead the country in this manner.”
“They aim to dismantle the country's economic structure, the constitutional framework, and independent agencies.... They are intent on destroying the economic structure, the constitutional integrity, and the independent agencies, including infrastructure, economy, social sector, and federal sector. Everything is disappearing. They merely engage in a juggling of words.... The common people must benefit from these facilities,” she emphasized.
Banerjee further accused the Centre of misrepresenting facts regarding economic corridors in the budget. “What they claimed about three corridors is pure nonsense. Blatant lies. The projects are already underway, and we have initiated work there. For the Jangalmahal Jangal Sundari project in Purulia, an investment of Rs 72,000 crore is being made for this economic corridor,” she explained.
On Sunday afternoon, Banerjee headed to the national capital, where she has several programs lined up, primarily focusing on protests against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. She is scheduled to meet with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. Additionally, she is likely to confer with top opposition leaders to build consensus against the revision initiative.
Meanwhile, Banerjee's Principal Chief Adviser and former state Finance Minister Amit Mitra will provide a detailed response to the Union Budget later.