Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders voiced strong criticism on Tuesday, asserting that the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha neglects West Bengal entirely.
They branded it as a budget serving the ruling NDA's interests rather than the nation's.
"This is a 'kursi bachao budget' (budget to save the chair)," declared TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee.
He argued that the budget is designed to safeguard Prime Minister Narendra Modi's position, benefiting the NDA rather than addressing India's broader needs.
Banerjee further highlighted the omission of benefits for West Bengal, contrasting it with previous allocations to Odisha, suggesting political motivations behind the budgetary decisions.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale condemned the budget as "open and shameless discrimination" against West Bengal.
He pointed out the exclusion of Bengal from flood relief and reconstruction funds, accusing the Union Government of deliberately ignoring the state as a form of political retribution for the BJP's poor electoral performance there.
"West Bengal contributes significant revenues to the Union but faces pathetic targeting and exclusion yet again in the Union Budget," Gokhale stated, stressing the perceived unfair treatment.
Another TMC Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev, censured the central government for withholding Rs 1.6 lakh crore owed to West Bengal.
She also questioned the budget's validity without recent census data, noting the absence of a population count since 2011.
"You are calling the budget historic, but he is a king who does not know what the population is. There has been no census since 2011. If you do not know the exact numbers, how are you going to make the budget?" she asked.
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