After Rahul Gandhi slammed Budget 2026 for ignoring unemployment and distress, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded, saying the economy’s fundamentals are strong and asked critics to substantiate claims with data.
Sitharaman responds to Rahul Gandhi's ‘youth without jobs’ remark
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday strongly rebutted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Union Budget 2026, asserting that the government had addressed concerns across sectors and that the country’s economic fundamentals remained robust despite global uncertainty.
Responding to Gandhi’s claim that the Budget ignored issues such as unemployment, falling manufacturing and declining household savings, Sitharaman asked the Congress leader to back his remarks with concrete data.
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Speaking during the customary post-Budget media interaction, Sitharaman said she did not understand what “course correction” Rahul Gandhi was referring to.
“With due respect, I don’t know what course correction he is referring to. The economy and its fundamentals are strong,” she said, citing findings from the Economic Survey.
She acknowledged that global uncertainty was impacting several sectors but stressed that the Budget had introduced targeted schemes to address those challenges. “For sectors affected by global conditions, we have brought in several schemes for small and medium enterprises, textiles, leather, farmers and women entrepreneurs,” she added.
The finance minister said the government’s priority remained ensuring that welfare benefits reached common people, particularly those in rural and difficult terrains.
“We are reaching out to the poor, those in remote areas, and ensuring that benefits are delivered where they are most needed,” she said. Sitharaman emphasised that Budget 2026 continued the government’s focus on inclusive growth and economic resilience, even as global headwinds persisted.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the Budget in a post on X, alleging that it failed to address pressing economic challenges. “Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks all ignored,” he wrote, calling the Budget “blind to India’s real crises”.
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Highlighting initiatives aimed at women, Sitharaman announced the setting up of Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts, envisioned as community-owned retail outlets under cluster-level federations.
“Building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi programme, we want to help women move from credit-led livelihoods to becoming enterprise owners,” she said, adding that innovative financing instruments would support these marts.
Concluding her remarks, Sitharaman said political criticism was expected but insisted that debates should be grounded in facts.
“Politically, you want to criticise you are welcome to do so. But if you want to give me the facts on which your argument is based, I’m willing to hear and reply,” she said.
