'Give me the facts on which you're basing your argument': Sitharaman counters Rahul's Budget jibe
Rahul Gandhi called the Union Budget "blind to India’s real crises" and alleged that it failed to address key structural problems facing the economy. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman countered the claims sharply.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday strongly defended the Union Budget 2026 against criticism from Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, asserting that India's economic fundamentals remain strong and that the government has put in place multiple measures to shield ordinary citizens from global volatility.
Her response came after Gandhi described the budget as lacking direction and ignoring what he called the country’s real economic crises.
Reacting to Gandhi's remarks, Sitharaman said she was unclear about the "course correction" he was referring to, maintaining that the government has taken a broad-based approach to support vulnerable sectors amid global uncertainty.
She pointed to a range of schemes aimed at small and medium enterprises, textiles, leather, rural workers, farmers, women entrepreneurs and self help groups, saying these initiatives are designed to ensure that ordinary people are not adversely affected by external economic shocks.
Present facts to back your argument: Sitharaman counters Rahul
"I don't know what course correction he is referring to. The economy and its fundamentals are strong. Global uncertainty is facing many of our sectors, for whom we have brought in so many different schemes for those small and medium enterprises, for textiles, for leather, for people who are working in the rural areas, schemes for benefiting them, for even the farmer and value addition, for women entrepreneurs, self-help entrepreneurs," she said in her post-Budget presser.
"These are ways in which we are reaching out to the common small people to make sure that they don't have to face big changes in their life because of any volatility coming from outside...Politically, you want to criticise, you're welcome, please do it. But if you want to give me the facts on which you're basing your argument, I'm willing to hear and willing to reply to that,” she added.
What Rahul Gandhi said about the Budget
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the budget, calling it "blind to India’s real crises" and alleging that it failed to address key structural problems facing the economy. He flagged issues such as unemployment among the youth, declining manufacturing activity, investor pullouts, falling household savings and distress in the farm sector.
"Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors are pulling out capital. Household savings are plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks - all ignored,” the Congress leader said in a post on X.
"A Budget that refuses course correction, blind to India's real crises," Gandhi wrote.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman announced a significant increase in capital expenditure, with the capex target raised to Rs 12.2 lakh crore for FY27, up from Rs 11.2 lakh crore allocated for the current financial year. She also unveiled a series of measures aimed at strengthening infrastructure across the country, with a particular focus on tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
The budget was presented against the backdrop of heightened global uncertainty, ongoing trade frictions, US tariff pressures and a slowdown in exports, factors that have weighed on several sectors of the Indian economy.
Union Budget 2026 is the third budget presented by the BJP-led NDA government in its third consecutive term in office.