Budget 2025-26: Band-Aid for an Economic Crisis?

The Congress criticized the Union Budget 2025-26, calling it inadequate in addressing economic issues like inflation and unemployment. Rahul Gandhi described it as a 'band-aid for bullet wounds,' claiming it favors the wealthy over common citizens. The BJP is accused of lacking new ideas and failing to implement significant economic changes.

The Congress party has lambasted the Union Budget for 2025-26, deeming it insufficient to tackle the economic "illnesses" it says plague the nation. According to Rahul Gandhi, the budget, unveiled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, offers little more than a "band-aid for bullet wounds," and fails to introduce any groundbreaking reforms.

Senior Congress figures, including former finance minister P Chidambaram, asserted that these announcements will largely benefit the tax-paying middle class and Bihar's voters, leaving the rest of India's populace with mere platitudes, celebrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government's focus on garnering appraisals for a budget he believes was designed to mislead the public, while highlighting insufficient allocations for critical sectors. The opposition disputes the BJP's focus and questions the central government's commitment to substantive economic growth.

(With inputs from agencies.)