BJP defends Union Budget 2026-27, hits back at Kharge

The BJP defended the Union Budget 2026-27 and rejected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s criticism, saying the budget reflects fiscal discipline, growth and national security priorities. Party spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said India remains strong despite global slowdown

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday strongly defended the Union Budget 2026-27, hitting back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his sharp criticism of the government’s economic vision.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said the Congress was ignoring fiscal discipline and global economic realities while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda.

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“Kharge should understand that Prime Minister Modi has a clear vision for Viksit Bharat. When Congress ruled the country for so many years, the fiscal deficit often went out of control, and there was no fiscal discipline. The overall fiscal deficit used to be very high. This time, the fiscal deficit is around 4.3 per cent,” Shah Deo told IANS.

Responding to the Congress chief’s claim that the budget lacked policy direction, Shah Deo said the opposition was selectively overlooking the global economic slowdown. “First of all, one needs to understand that the world is going through an economic slowdown. Almost all major economies across the globe are slowing down, and projections for the next fiscal year also indicate weak global growth. In such a situation, India is emerging as a bright spot and is in a much stronger position,” he said, adding that the budget addresses all key sectors of the economy.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier on Sunday criticised the Union Budget 2026-27, accusing the Narendra Modi-led government of lacking policy vision and failing to offer solutions to pressing socio-economic challenges such as jobs, manufacturing, private investment, infrastructure and social security. He also flagged “tariff risks and slowdown” in exports, alleging that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman offered “no response to export slump, tariff risks, trade deficit and shrinking global share”.

“The Narendra Modi-led Union government has run out of ideas. #Budget2026 does not provide a single solution to India’s many economic, social and political challenges,” Kharge said in a post on X, accusing the government of avoiding structural reforms. He further alleged that the budget reflected a lack of political will to tackle inflation, weak consumer demand and rising debt, while disappointing farmers, the middle class and marginalised sections.

Rejecting these charges, Shah Deo said the Congress was deliberately painting a negative picture despite India’s improving economic fundamentals. He also defended the government’s focus on national security. “It was absolutely necessary to strengthen our defence sector. We recently saw during Operation Sindoor how the Indian Armed Forces displayed their valour and struck inside Pakistan. While we have already given Pakistan a strong response, we must remain fully prepared, as there are two or three countries along our borders with which we have had longstanding hostilities,” he said.

The BJP spokesperson said the Union Budget reflects a balance between fiscal prudence, growth and national security, and accused the Congress of misleading the public for political reasons as the debate over Budget 2026-27 continues to intensify.