Parliament Budget Session: Nirmala Sitharaman replies on Union Budget in Lok Sabha

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha that the government aims to integrate skilling directly into mainstream education so that students do not have to wait until they graduate to acquire employable skills. She said that instead of completing their education and then searching for places to gain skills, students should receive this training as part of their academic journey. Sitharaman explained that this approach would enable young people to emerge from education confidently saying, “I can become an entrepreneur”. She proposed that mega centres dedicated to entrepreneurship development be established alongside industrial clusters in various states. These hubs would serve as higher education-cum-skill development centres designed to nurture future entrepreneurs.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "He has made a serious allegation against Minister Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice. It is a serious breach of privilege. We will file the necessary notice with the Speaker. LoP did not make any useful substantive contribution to the Budget Discussion. He was only making wild allegations. I told him to be present in the House when the Finance Minister replies to the Budget at 5 PM today. After his speech, he immediately went out of the House. The rule is that once a members makes his speech, he cannot leave the House immediately after his speech is over..."

"Why is Anil Ambani not in jail. He's not in jail because his name is in Epstein Files. Hardeep Puri introduced him to Epstein", says LoP Rahul Gandhi 

Continuing attack on the government, Rahul Gandhi said, "We would have told Trump our energy security is our energy security and we are going to protect it. INDIA bloc govt would have told Trump we will protect our farmers." 

The Lok Sabha witnessed noisy scenes after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi uttered Epstein during his speech in Lok Sabha. 

Hitting out at the government, Rahul said, “We are moving from a world of stability to a world of instability. PM Modi and NSA stated that era of war is over but we are moving into the era of war. There is war in Ukraine, Gaza, we had Operation Sindoor. The Dollar is being challenged. US supremacy is being challenged." 

"We need to protect our people, data, food supply and energy system. Budget recognises energy and finance are being weaponised but nothing in budget that looks into this," says Rahul Gandhi. 

"People create data. We have the biggest data pool on the planet. 1.4 billion people means massive amount of data is being generated in India. Everybody talks about AI (Artificial Intelligence) but talking AI is like talking about internal combustion engine without petrol. The petrol for AI is data.... meaning if you have AI and you don't data, you have nothing. Which are the two biggest pools of data on the planet? The Indian pool of data and Chinese pool of data." 

In a strong message to US President Donald Trump, Rahul Gandhi went on to say, "Talk to us as equals not someone as subversive." 

He further said, "In this contest, we should put on the table, our people, their knowledge and wisdom. Population is our biggest strength but only when you realise that data is that strength." 

While addressing, Rahul Gandhi says, "In a contest between the US and China, the single most valuable asset is Indian data. If the Americans want to remain a superpower, the key to that is Indian data." 

While delivering his remarks on Budget 2026-27 in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, “Some time back, Kiren Rijiju ji asked me how I keep fit. I told him that I practice Jujutsu and martial arts…The foundation of martial arts starts with the ‘grip’. Without the grip, nothing happens. First comes the grip, then the second grip, and then it leads to the choke. The choke focuses on the neck and secures control.”

"I was looking at the economic survey and two points I found there, solid points, profound points that I liked. First point, that we are living in a world of intensifying geopolitical conflict... The dominance of the United States is being challenged by the Chinese, by the Russians, by other forces. The second thing is that we are living in a world of energy and financial weaponisation. The main thing they are saying here is that we are moving from a world of stability to a world of instability. Prime Minister stated, and NSA stated, shockingly, some time back, that the era of war is over. In fact, we are moving into the era of war. You can see war is there in Ukraine, war was there in Gaza, war is there in the Middle East, threat of war is there in Iran. We had operations in Sindoor. So we are moving into a world of instability. The dollar is being challenged. The central game, as my friends on the other side understand, is that dollar is being challenged, US supremacy is being challenged. We are moving from a world of one superpower to some new world that really we can't predict..."

Whiile speaking in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said, "I must be given creative freedom." His address comes after days of protests by Opposition members over not being allowed to quote from former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir in the House. 

Rahul Gandhi is speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Union Budget 2026–27. 

The row began when Rahul Gandhi tried to quote from General MM Naravane’s memoir Four Stars of Destiny. Speaker Om Birla ruled that unpublished material should not be cited in Parliament. Gandhi had argued that the book was available for purchase, referring to a 2023 social media post by the former Army Chief.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to speak at 12 pm during the debate on the Union Budget. 

Rahul Gandhi parliament live: The Lok Sabha began proceedings under the chairmanship of P C Mohan. This follows a notice moved by Opposition MPs seeking a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla.