Union Budget 2026: Kerala leaders say state ignored, call budget disappointing

NEW DELHI: Political leaders in Kerala have strongly criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, alleging that the state has been ignored. MP John Brittas said the Budget offers nothing for Kerala and described it as deeply disappointing. He remarked sarcastically that at least some announcement could have been made to “fool” the people.

“Kerala has received nothing in the Union Budget. Not a single project, including a high-speed rail corridor, has been announced. The Budget is disappointing and has completely sidelined Kerala. They could have announced something, at least to fool the people. The Centre deceived Kerala by using E. Sreedharan. This is not a continuation of the previous Budget,” John Brittas said. He added that there is nothing for boosting the rural sector and that now there is hope only in ‘tortoise-like’ development.

Congress MP Shafi Parambil also mocked the Budget, saying the Centre believes development in Kerala should progress only at the speed of a tortoise. He criticised the Budget as being boring even for the Finance Minister herself and said it lacks strong slogans or concrete measures for economic stimulus.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam also accused the Centre of neglecting Kerala. He said the Budget is filled with empty promises and is being projected as a “youth-focused Budget,” but offers no solutions to address unemployment. He alleged that the Budget is corporate-friendly, favouring big business houses such as Ambani and Adani, while ignoring states like Kerala. He added that the BJP government tends to abandon its promises once its objectives are achieved.