New Delhi: The opposition and citizens and rights groups on Sunday (February 1) hit out at the Narendra Modi government following the presentation of Union Budget 2026, calling it “lacklustre”, “vision-less”, one that does not address India’s real crises, and is detached from the concerns of people.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled her ninth budget against a backdrop of global uncertainties, a shakeup of the world order due to United States (US) President Donald Trump, the rupee in its worst health and a slowdown in Indian exports.In a statement, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that the budget “refuses course correction” and was “blind to India’s real crises.”“Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks – all ignored. A Budget that refuses course correction, blind to India’s real crises,” he said.Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has run out of ideas as the budget “does not provide a single solution to India’s many economic, social, and political challenges.”Modi Govt has run out of ideas. #Budget2026 does not provide a single solution to India’s many economic, social, and political challenges.“Mission Mode” is now “Challenge Route.”“Reform Express” rarely stops at any “Reform” Junction.Net result: NO policy vision, NO…— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 1, 2026“‘Mission Mode’ is now ‘Challenge Route’ and ‘Reform Express’ rarely stops at any ‘Reform’ Junction. Net result: NO policy vision, NO political will,” he said.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that there was nothing for Bengal in the finance minister’s 85-minute speech. She said that in the upcoming Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) knows it “will lose Bengal lock, stock and barrel, which is why they deliberately chose not to allocate funds to the state”.“Ten crore people of Bengal are being branded as Bangladeshis by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country. For the people of Bengal – the workers, farmers, fishermen, and the youth, there is nothing in the budget,” she said.“In her 5100-second speech, the Finance Minister did not mention Bengal even once. The government which talks about Skill India, artificial intelligence and technological advancement failed to provide a roadmap for job creation for the youth. There was no mention of security for farmers, or measures to stabilise their income. The budget is faceless, baseless and visionless.” Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said the budget was disappointing.“This budget mentions neither the common people nor cares about them. Even as inflation rises uncontrollably, not granting tax relief to the public in this budget is nothing but ‘tax exploitation.’ Ten kinds of exemptions have been given for the businesses and travels of the rich, but for those struggling with unemployment remains empty. The middle class feels utterly cheated,” he said.Yadav said that social security has been reduced to “mere formalities”. “The farmer, laborer, worker, trader, small shopkeeper can’t even find the relief meant for them with a telescope in hand. A disappointing, deplorable budget!”The Communist Party of India (CPI) said in a statement that the budget priorities are detached from the concerns of the masses.“The Union Budget once again reflects the government’s refusal to confront the real economic crisis facing the country. At a time when global uncertainties, geopolitical instability, and trade disruptions are intensifying, the Finance Minister’s speech offered no roadmap to insulate the Indian economy or protect livelihoods,” the party said. “Instead of clarity, the Budget was marked by deliberate vagueness. The Finance Minister avoided giving scheme-wise allocations to major flagship programmes, signalling opacity and an attempt to hoodwink Parliament and the people by hiding cuts behind grand announcements.”The party said that under the BJP, AI “appears to stand not for Artificial Intelligence, but for Administrative Inertia, symbolising a directionless governance that substitutes buzzwords for vision and slogans for solutions.”Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Manoj Kumar Jha said that the budget had once again “failed to address the two most serious issues affecting the country’s vast population – rapidly rising ‘income inequality’ and ‘alarming unemployment’.”आज बजट एक बार फिर देश की विशाल आबादी को प्रभावित करने वाले दो सबसे गंभीर मुद्दों को संबोधित करने में विफल रहा है—तेज़ी से बढ़ती ‘आय की असमानता’ और ‘भयावह बेरोज़गारी’।इन संरचनात्मक संकटों से जूझने के बजाय बजट ने सतही उपायों और भारी-भरकम शब्दावली का सहारा लिया है। शब्दों की यह…— Manoj Kumar Jha (@manojkjhadu) February 1, 2026“Instead of grappling with these structural crises, the budget has resorted to superficial measures and heavy rhetoric. This embellishment of words may create headlines for a day or two, but it cannot bring any change in the economic realities/concerns of ordinary people,” he said.How rights groups see Budget 2026The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), in a statement on the Union Budget 2026-27, has said that it provides no clarity on the proposed VB-G RAM G scheme and significantly underfunds employment guarantees for rural workers. NSM notes that the allocation for VB-G RAM G, which supposedly replaces the MG-NREGA, is only about 42% of what would be required to meet the promised 125 days of work.Meanwhile, it has said that the allocation for MG-NREGA this year (roughly Rs 30,000 crore) is insufficient even to clear the existing and pending dues.The Union government has recently repealed the MG-NREGA Act and replaced it with a new employment scheme, VB-G RAM G, which changes the rights-based approach of the previous law. According to the Sangharsh Morcha, the change has no clarity on timelines, state-wise allocations or implementation norms.The statement higlights the historically high demand for work during the April-June period, barely weeks away, when workers would encounter insecurity and uncertainty regarding their right to work.The note calculates that there are about 8.65 crore active households (around 56% of registered households) and that the average cost per day of work is Rs 355. At this rate, generating one day of work for active households costs approximately Rs 3,071 crore, while providing 125 days of work would require about Rs 3.84 lakh crore.With the Union government’s share fixed at 60%, its contribution would need to be roughly Rs 2.3 lakh crore.Against this requirement, the actual allocation for VB-G RAM G is Rs 95,692 crore, which the note states is only about 42% of the minimum required amount. Based on this allocation, the scheme would generate an average of around 52 days of work per active household, falling well short of the announced 125-day employment guarantee.Similarly, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), in a statement issued by its general secretary Muralidharan, has said that the Union Budget 2026-27 does not adequately meet the state’s obligations under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.While allocations to the Department of Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities have seen a marginal increase, overall spending remains extremely low – at about 0.0286% of total budgetary expenditure (around 0.008% of GDP) – with limited focus on implementing statutory rights related to education, healthcare, employment, social security and accessibility, the statement said.According to NPRD, the newly announced Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana and Divyangjan Sahara Yojana largely reiterate existing approaches, with limited evidence of improved outcomes. It points out that allocations for key existing schemes, including implementation of the RPwD Act, have been reduced or remain stagnant.The organisation also points out that the Indira Gandhi Disability Pension Scheme continues at Rs 300 per month, unchanged since 2012, and that cuts in social sector and capital expenditure will hur access to services, infrastructure and support for persons with disabilities in states.