New Delhi, Feb 10 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress, DMK and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday slammed the provisions in the General Budget and accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of starving states ruled by the BJP’s rivals of funds.
Participating in a discussion on the General Budget in the Lok Sabha, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee accused Sitharaman of trying to practice the ‘Robin Hood model’ in reverse.
“She drains the poor through taxation and inflation, while rewarding the rich with concessions and privileges,” Banerjee said.
The Trinamool Congress leader said the finance minister did not mention West Bengal even once in her 85-minute budget speech, and even the announcement of the freight corridor from Dankuni to Surat was originally announced in 2009 by the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“The Constitution promises equality among states. But this government practises preference; allies are funded while opponents are starved. This is not a model of cooperative federalism; this is a model of subscription-based federalism,” Banerjee, the Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour, said.
He said common citizens are taxed at every stage of life — from birth to death.
“Milk and diapers are taxed when a child is born. Schooling brings taxes on education and stationery. As an adult, income is taxed; savings are taxed; and everyday consumption is taxed.
“Fuel is taxed to commute to work, healthcare and medicines are taxed in illness, and pensions are taxed in old age. And even in death, the incense sticks burned at a funeral do not escape taxation,” he said.
Banerjee said West Bengal contributed Rs 6.5 lakh crore in taxes over the last seven years, but was denied its rightful share.
“We live in India where raising the Joy Bangla slogan or singing ‘Amar Shona Bangla’ can get you labelled as an infiltrator. While they say ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ from every podium, I come from an India where Bengal is not given her dues to the tune of Rs 1,90,000 crore,” Banerjee said.
“India lives with three certainties — pressure that mounts, taxes that multiply and trust that is betrayed,” he said.
DMK leader T R Baalu described the budget presented by Sitharaman as “rhetoric presented by a sloganeering government.” He said some initiatives, such as the employment-linked insurance scheme, research development and innovation fund, that were announced in the previous Budget, have not taken off as yet.
Baalu voiced concern over the trade deal with the US, saying it will open the floodgates for American agricultural produce in the Indian markets. He also said that projects such as the Sethusamudram and AIIMS at Madurai were yet to see the light of day.
The DMK leader said the Centre government has not granted funds for phase two of the metro rail project and for the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Anil Desai said Maharashtra contributed Rs 5.5 lakh crore in taxes to the national exchequer, but received less amount from the Centre, while NCP-SP member Bajrang Sonwane pointed out that none of the recommendations discussed by the GST Council were taken into consideration in the Union Budget.
The Centre is now rectifying its own mistakes as it hurriedly implemented new GST rates, Sonwane said. “Will the Centre foot the bill for the losses faced by traders due to GST?” Congress MP Karti Chidambaram lauded Sitharaman for presenting nine consecutive budgets, highlighting its importance in a mostly male field.
Terming the interim trade agreement with the US as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery and inside an enigma”, he said, “I hope the finance minister will give details of the deal in her speech — whether India is obligated to buy US goods worth USD 500 billion, are we allowed to buy oil from Russia and Iran with whom we have longstanding relations.” Trinamool Congress member Saugata Ray claimed that the prime minister had asked not to mention West Bengal in the budget speech as he would be making the announcements later. “The finance minister has been practically cruel to Bengal,” Ray said.
He demanded that “unpaid dues” for the West Bengal government be paid by the Centre. The Union Budget seems like it was “created by Donald Trump instead of the Government of India,” Ray added.
JMM member Vijay Kumar Hansdak slammed the government over the trade agreement with the US. He claimed that the government had compromised the interests of the farmers by allowing agricultural imports from the US.
Congress MP Viriato Fernandes expressed disappointment that Goa was not mentioned in the Budget. Major national issues like inequality, unemployment, and health were not addressed in the Budget, he said.
Goa is under severe financial stress due to faulty policies, the MP claimed and criticised the Finance Commission’s inaction in the matter.
RJD member Abhay Kumar Sinha accused the BJP government of not delivering promises after coming to power in Bihar. He said that when the BJP came to power, they said the priorities would change, and there would be real differences in the lives of common people.
According to data, rural development, education, and items of social infrastructure have been cut in the Budget of 2026, Sinha said.
National Conference member Mian Altaf Ahmad accused Sitharaman of not making provisions for employment generation. He also highlighted issues in the banking and tourism sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. PTI SKU SKU NSD NSD
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