US Edition"No Economic Strategy, Statesmanship": P Chidambaram On Union Budget 2026
Chidambaram highlighted a Rs 1.44 trillion cut in capital expenditure and slow fiscal deficit reduction as key failures ignored from the Economic Survey analysis.
- On Feb 01, 2026, Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, saying it failed the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship.
- The Economic Survey released days earlier, Chidambaram said, was ignored by the government, which discarded it and relied on acronyms and slogans instead, ignoring at least 10 challenges it identified.
- On February 1, 2026, the Union Budget shows cuts, with revenue receipts short by Rs 78,086 crore and total expenditure short by Rs 1,00,503 crore, along with a sharp decline in Jal Jeevan Mission funds from Rs 67,000 crore to Rs 17,000 crore.
- The revised estimate of the fiscal deficit adhered to 4.4 per cent, with a projected fall of 0.1 per cent of GDP, while the revenue deficit remains at 1.5 per cent, indicating a slow fiscal consolidation.
- Penal tariffs and trade tensions, Chidambaram said, have stressed manufacturers and exporters, while closures of lakhs of MSMEs, youth unemployment, and weak urban infrastructure worsen economic risks, and many schemes risk disappearing by next year.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Devdiscourse
dtnext.inUnion Budget fails test of economic strategy, economic statesmanship: P Chidambaram
Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026-27 failed the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship as it did not address several challenges put forth by the Economic Survey. Noting that the revenue deficit remains stationary at 1.5 per cent, Chidambaram said the Union budget presented this year is not a bold exercise in fiscal prudence and consolidation.
"No Economic Strategy, Statesmanship": P Chidambaram On Union Budget 2026
Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram dismissed the Union budget 2026 presented today by Nirmala Sitharaman, saying it does not address any of the major challenges pointed out in the economic...
Budget 2026 ignored 10 key challenges flagged in Economic Survey: Chidambaram
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram criticised the Union Budget 2026-27 for not addressing core economic challenges flagged in the recent Economic Survey, raising questions on fiscal management and policy priorities.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
