Budget politically driven with Delhi polls in mind, says P Chidambaram

New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday said the Union Budget 2025-26 is a “politically-driven budget” with Delhi elections in mind as it ignored the poor and bottom half of the population.

Initiating a discussion on Union Budget 2025-26 in Rajya Sabha, Chidambaram questioned Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for improving fiscal deficit by cutting the Centre’s capital expenditure and grants-in-aid to states and termed it as bad economics.

“There ought to be a philosophy behind the Budget, but I cannot find one in this Budget. I shall not attempt to do so because after going through the Budget speech and Budget numbers, I believe there is no philosophy behind the Budget,” he said.

Chidambaram further said, “It is obvious that the budget was politically driven, I shall not elaborate upon that but I congratulate the finance minister for achieving one of her objectives a couple of days ago.”

He was referring to the BJP’s win in the Delhi Assembly elections.

The former finance minister also stated that the MGNREGA daily wage could have been increased “because the poorest are the ones who are going for MGNREGA work” and also the statutory minimum wage across the board under the Minimum Wages Act, could have been raised and that could have benefitted thousands and thousands of labourers.

“She (Sitharaman) did nothing. But, she was focussed on the Income Tax and she was focussed on the Delhi elections,” Chidambaram asserted.

Referring to the Income Tax relief provided in the Budget, he said, “She remembered the middle class but what about the section of people she has forgotten?”