Union budget ignored inflation, unemployment: Oppn in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Feb 1 (PTI) Opposition parties in Gujarat on Sunday criticised the Union Budget 2026-27, saying it lacked vision for the common man and failed to address rising inflation, unemployment and economic distress.

While the Congress said the budget reflected the Narendra Modi government's anti-farmer and anti-poor mindset, the AAP called it "completely hollow".

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said the budget offered no concrete relief to farmers, labourers, youth, small traders, the middle class and small and medium industries.

Rising inflation and unemployment had severely impacted ordinary citizens, but the budget did not offer any roadmap to provide relief or revive livelihoods, he said in a statement.

Doshi also claimed that there was no clarity on the amount allocated to various schemes, how much funding had increased or reduced, and how much money actually reached beneficiaries.

"Although big claims are made about the Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, housing schemes, stadiums and medical facilities, their real impact is not reflected in the budget," he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that the biggest problem facing the country today is inequality, and the budget will further increase the gap between the rich and the poor.

He said that the middle class had hoped for relief in income tax and essential expenses, but that too has been ignored.

The government claims to be a "game changer", but has instead become a "name changer", he said, alleging that farmers, labourers and youth have been neglected in the budget.

Huge cuts have been made in areas such as health, education, social welfare, rural development and urban development, the statement said, and cited that allocations under the Jal Jeevan Mission were reduced by Rs 50,000 crore at a time when people in many parts of the country were dying due to contaminated drinking water.

Doshi said that special schemes for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC communities have also seen major cuts, which will negatively impact social justice.

Scholarships for post-matric students, tribal development programmes and youth education schemes have also been slashed, he stated.

He alleged that the budget offers no concrete measures to control inflation, while public debt is on the rise and the rupee has been weakening.

The Congress leader further termed the Narendra Modi government's policies as anti-farmer, anti-poor and anti-village, and said that the budget reflected the same mindset.

Echoing similar views, Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi termed the Union budget "completely hollow", saying it lacked a vision for both farmers and the middle class.

Speaking to reporters, Gadhvi said the middle class was burdened with high taxes and multiple GST slabs, but the budget offered no relief in key areas such as healthcare and education.

"Today, medical expenses are draining the savings of families, but there is no provision to ease the burden of healthcare costs. Similarly, there is nothing concrete for education," he said.

The AAP leader said that there was no mention of irrigation facilities, free electricity, loan waivers or any long-term strategy to improve farmers' incomes.

"There are crores of farmers in the country, but the budget does not offer any meaningful support. There is no clear vision for agriculture," he said.

Gadhvi also criticised the government for failing to address unemployment, alleging that regular government recruitments had declined and outsourcing was being promoted instead.

"There is nothing for unemployed youth. Earlier, there used to be large recruitments in sectors like Railways, but now there is no recruitment calendar or assurance of jobs," he said.

The AAP leader further claimed that the budget had no strong schemes for the poor, deprived and exploited sections of society.

Referring to changes in the rural employment scheme, he said that while the number of days under MNREGA had been increased, a major financial burden had been shifted to state governments, creating uncertainty about its effective implementation.

Gadhvi described the budget as one that would "take India downward" instead of strengthening the economy. PTI PJT PD ARU