Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the General Budget 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Sunday (February 1). Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised it and called it historic. However, the opposition has expressed disappointment regarding this. Meanwhile, the statement of national spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait has come to light. He says that the budget did not live up to the expectations of farmers, laborers and rural India.
Rakesh Tikait has termed the Union Budget 202627 as unsuccessful in solving the basic problems of the country's farmers, labourers, tribal society and rural India. He said that neither any concrete initiative was taken in the budget on loan waiver for the farmers who are struggling with rising inflation, continuous increase in the cost of farming, debt burden and falling income, nor was there any provision for giving legal guarantee to the minimum support price. He said that farmers had high expectations from this budget, but their expectations were not fulfilled.
Tikait said that the budget is also disappointing on the question of rural employment and unemployment. He said that there is no clear direction in the budget to strengthen employment schemes, increase minimum wages and ensure social security of workers. He said that this is likely to deepen the problem of increasing unemployment among rural youth.
He said that the basic issues of the tribal society like water, forest, land, education, health and livelihood were not given the required priority in the budget. He said that instead of empowering the rural economy, the budget's inclination once again appears towards urban and corporate interests.
The farmers' organization says that, overall, this budget is a budget of figures and announcements, away from ground truth, in which the expectations of the country's food providers and the working class have been ignored. He said that the government should reconsider its policies and budgetary provisions by keeping farmers, labourers, tribals and rural India at the center.
