Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman faced intense scrutiny in Parliament over the recent Union Budget but came prepared to counter the opposition’s claims on Wednesday. The primary contention from opposition leaders, particularly chief ministers of states governed by non-NDA parties, was that the budget disproportionately favored two NDA allies, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
In her response, Sitharaman sought to address these criticisms by drawing comparisons with previous budgets. She pointed out that, during the UPA era, several states had also been excluded from the budget speech highlights. “I have been picking up on Budgets since 2004-05. In 2004-05, 17 states were not named in the budget speech. In 2006-07, 16 states were not named. In 2009, 26 states were not named, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” she said. “I want to ask the UPA government — did money not go to those states?” she added.
Sitharaman emphasized that the omission of states from the budget speech does not equate to a lack of funding. “I humbly state that all members know that if a state is not named doesn’t mean money does not go to them. It is a misleading campaign. It pains me to know that they could say that if you have not mentioned a state, it gets nothing,” she remarked.
The minister criticized efforts to distort data and create a sense of fear among the public. She noted that in recent years, ministers have actively traveled to each state to explain budget allocations. Sitharaman also addressed concerns about the neglect of social sectors, particularly welfare schemes for farmers, small traders, and MSMEs. “The budget allocation for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare was only ₹21,934 crore in 2013-2014. However, in 2024-2025, it has increased to ₹1.23 lakh crore,” she highlighted, noting that this represents a five-fold increase.
Further supporting her defense, Sitharaman reported that more than ₹3.2 lakh crore have been disbursed to over 11 crore farmers under the PM Kisan scheme since its inception.
Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi had criticized the budget on several fronts, including its silence on issues such as paper leaks and the caste census. Despite the ongoing debate, Sitharaman’s statements aimed to refute claims of bias and demonstrate the government’s commitment to equitable state funding and social welfare.
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