‘Budget is an economic betrayal, financial blockade for Bengal’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday termed the Union Budget 2025-26 as nothing short of an “economic betrayal” for Bengal. He alleged that the Union Budget was prepared for the poll-bound Bihar.

In reaction to the Union Budget, Banerjee once again accused the Centre of stifling Bengal’s growth.

“For Bengal, this Budget is nothing short of an ECONOMIC BETRAYAL. Not a single meaningful financial allocation has been made for the state. This is a deliberate FINANCIAL BLOCKADE, a calculated move to STIFLE BENGAL’S GROWTH and development. Despite BJP having 12 MPs from Bengal, their silence on this SYSTEMIC DEPRIVATION speaks volumes about their complicity in this INJUSTICE,” Banerjee said on his social media handle.

“The NDA Government has once again laid bare its UTTER DISREGARD for the people with a Budget that reeks of POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM, not welfarism. This is not a people-centric budget- it is an ELECTION STUNT designed to bankroll BJP’s electoral machinery and appease its allies,” Banerjee in a post on X said.

Banerjee further stated: “The message is loud and clear: the NDA Government does not care about the people – it only cares about POWER. This BANGLA-BIRODHI BUDGET is yet another reminder that for the BJP, Bengal exists only as a POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND, not as a state deserving of its RIGHTFUL DUES. The people of Bengal will not forget. The people of Bengal will not forgive.”

The Diamond Harbour MP criticised the 12 BJP MPs from Bengal, stating that they failed to advocate for the state’s interests and did not contribute to improving the economic conditions of the state and its residents.

“When Bengal elected 18 MPs (from the BJP), even then they did not give anything to Bengal. Today also, the BJP has 12 MPs, but they didn’t give anything to Bengal. These 12 MPs will not even protest against this. Bengal has always been deprived and the same has happened again today. Just because Bihar will go into the polls this year, they’ve done everything for Bihar. They do everything keeping in mind the elections, not the common people,” Banerjee told media in Delhi after the Budget was presented in Parliament.

Asked about the income tax exemption proposed in the budget, Banerjee said: “I need to go through the contents of the Budget before speaking on that.”