Budget 2026 highlights: Lok Sabha adjourned after ex-army chief's book sparks Rahul vs govt row

Budget 2026 LIVE: A ruckus broke out in the Lok Sabha on Monday during Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s address, with defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah interrupting his speech over references being made.

Rajnath Singh objected to Gandhi’s remarks, urging him to quote only from material that has been formally published. Amit Shah also intervened, saying that unpublished or magazine reports cannot be treated as authoritative.

“Magazine can publish anything,” Shah said, pressing Gandhi to restrict his references to officially published books or documents.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi arrived in Parliament on Friday and is expected to address the Lok Sabha shortly.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Congress MP Manish Tewari criticised the Union Budget, saying it failed to address core economic concerns. “There is nothing in the budget. The nominal GDP has been in a secular decline for the past 12 years,” he said, targeting the government’s economic record, reported PTI.

Budget session live updates: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Sunday gave an Adjournment Motion Notice in the Lok Sabha, seeking an “urgent discussion on serious international reports allegedly referencing PM Narendra Modi in communications linked to Jeffrey Epstein.”

However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed any connection. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday described the reference to the Prime Minister in the latest investigative files released by US authorities as “little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal,” referring to Epstein.

Budget 2026 LIVE: TMC MP Sagarika Ghose on Sunday explained the party’s walkout from the Rajya Sabha, saying it was in protest against the Union Budget 2026-27, which she said ignored Bengal entirely, reported PTI.

“Today in the Rajya Sabha, the All India Trinamool Congress walked out because Bengal was not mentioned even once in the Budget and its dues are still being withheld... This is a violation of the federal structure, Centre-state relations and the Constitution. That is why we raised this issue in Parliament and walked out,” Ghose said.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday criticised the Union Budget, pointing to the market reaction as an indicator of its impact.

“When the Sensex itself has spoken after the budget, what more is there to say? The Sensex fell after the budget, and how much more will the rupee fall?” Yadav told reporters outside parliament.

He also questioned the outcomes of land acquisition for defence projects, saying, “Thousands of acres of land have been acquired in the name of building defence corridors. But what has been achieved?”

Sensex, Nifty 50 saw worst budget day in six years.

Budget session 2026 LIVE: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders on Sunday staged a protest in the Parliament premises, raising various demands and highlighting issues related to Bihar.

RJD MP Misa Bharti told ANI, "There are several issues in Bihar, several demands of the people there which have not been met. Budget Session is underway. So, we all thought that the burning topics of Bihar be raised, especially that of the special status to Bihar. There was nothing for Bihar in the budget. We are also raising the issue of law and order in Bihar, of NEET aspirant's death. We want the Govt to respond and that action be taken."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday expressed scepticism about the circumstances surrounding the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, adding that he plans to raise the issue in Parliament, urging for clarity on the Baramati crash that killed the senior leader and four others on January 28.

"Ajit Pawar warned to expose a file related to corruption by BJP and within 10 days he died in air crash." said Raut, repeating the allegation.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Opposition MPs from Kerala staged a protest at Parliament on Sunday against the Union Budget 2026, alleging that it discriminates against the state and fails to address its key demands.

Holding placards and raising slogans, the MPs termed the Budget an “anti-Kerala Budget”, accusing the Centre of neglecting Kerala in allocations and policy priorities.

The protest comes amid broader Opposition criticism of the Budget, with several parties accusing the Centre of ignoring two non-BJP ruled states, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The CMs of the two states also lashed out at FM Nirmala Sitharaman, with Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan charging her with deliberately overlooking the fact that Kerala is also part of India's map.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Sunday criticised the Union Budget, alleging cuts across key sectors and saying it offered no relief to the middle class or the common man.

“There has been a cut in agriculture, a cut in education, a cut in health, and a cut in rural development. There has also been a cut in schemes meant for the poor. There is nothing in this budget for the middle class or for the common man. So, Prime Minister, please tell me, how does this appear to you as a good budget?” Tiwari said.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Bihar minister Dilip Jaiswal on Sunday defended the Union Budget 2026–27, saying the Opposition had failed to understand the seriousness and intent behind the proposals announced by the Centre.

“The Opposition has failed to grasp the seriousness of the Budget. This Budget outlines a self-reliant India through Vocal for Local, with the aim of creating employment in every home,” Jaiswal said, reported ANI.

Highlighting key measures, the minister said seats in premier institutions such as IITs and IIMs are being increased, while the prices of life-saving medicines have been reduced. He also said the high-speed rail project in Bihar has received approval, calling it a major step towards improving infrastructure and boosting development in the state.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday criticised the Union Budget, alleging that it favoured only a select few and failed to reflect ground realities.

“The Budget was not for common people but for a select few... Visit a village and look for Viksit Bharat. Go and see the condition of Jal Jeevan Mission. They made the President speak their words in her Address. They have pocketed the entire fund and people in Delhi (Centre) have shut their eyes,” Yadav said, reported ANI.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Sunday criticised the Union Budget 2026, calling it “completely negative” and saying it had failed to meet the expectations of key sections of society.

“The budget that has been presented is completely negative. The country had a lot of hopes and expectations; young people had hopes, and industries had hopes that the government would do something good for them. However, the government has done nothing for them,” Aujla said, reported PTI.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday criticised the Union Budget 2026 presented by FM Nirmala Sitharaman, calling it “disappointing” and saying it “lacks foresight”.

Reacting to the Budget presented in Parliament, the chief minister said the proposals failed to address key concerns and did not offer a clear vision for the future, reiterating his party’s criticism of the Centre’s economic priorities, reported PTI.

"Only two things have been majorly mentioned about Karnataka are Bengaluru-Chennai and Hyderabad-Bengaluru high speed rail corridors in five years. This is of no benefit to Karnataka. It is more beneficial to Telangana and Tamil Nadu. We had asked for Bengaluru-Mumbai, Bengaluru-Mangaluru, and Bengaluru-Pune high speed rails," he added.

Budget 2026 LIVE: The Budget session of Parliament will comprise 30 sittings spread over 65 days and conclude on April 2.

Both Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9, allowing Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

Budget 2026 LIVE: At an all-party meeting held on January 27, Opposition parties pressed for discussions on issues including the restoration of MGNREGA, the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls, and the controversy surrounding the UGC.

Budget 2026 LIVE: The Lok Sabha will convene at 11 am on Monday to take up a packed legislative agenda.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to reply in the House on February 11.

Budget 2026 LIVE: The Lok Sabha will on Monday take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal will initiate the discussion on behalf of the BJP, with party MP Tejasvi Surya set to second the motion. A total of 18 hours has been allotted for the debate.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the discussion on February 4.

Budget 2026 LIVE: The Union Budget 2026–27, presented on Sunday by FM Nirmala Sitharaman, triggered sharp political reactions, with the BJP praising it as a growth-oriented roadmap and the Opposition criticising it as exclusionary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders described the Budget as a bold blueprint for Viksit Bharat 2047, highlighting its focus on self-reliance, infrastructure expansion and employment opportunities for the youth.

Opposition parties, however, termed it a “missed opportunity”, alleging that key concerns such as inflation and unemployment were not adequately addressed. They also claimed that states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha were sidelined in the allocations.

Budget 2026 LIVE: On Union Budget2026, Congress MP Manickam Tagore criticised finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, alleging neglect of education, minority affairs, research and social spending. He said a comparison with inflation showed “stagnation in spending”.

Tagore also claimed Tamil Nadu had once again been ignored in the Budget, adding that allocations linked to rare minerals would benefit “close friends of PM Modi” and lead to exploitation of forests and natural resources, reported ANI.

He alleged that states such as Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala would bear the brunt of this exploitation.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026–27 will further strengthen India’s position on the global stage, underlining the country’s ambitions to emerge as one of the world’s leading economies.

“The 140 crore citizens of India are satisfied with not just being the fastest-growing economy, but we also want to be the third-largest global economy at the earliest. This is the resolve of crores of citizens of the country,” Modi said.

The prime minister said India’s role as a trusted democratic partner and a reliable supplier of quality goods is steadily expanding. He added that the benefits of recently signed trade agreements, which he described as the “Mother of All Deals”, should reach the country’s youth as well as small and medium enterprises, and said the Union Budget has taken major steps in that direction.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with 30 university students who watched the presentation of the Union Budget 2026–27 live from the Lok Sabha gallery, calling it a break from the usual post-Budget routine of media interviews.

Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the idea came from her team, which suggested doing something different this year instead of heading straight to television studios and newspaper interviews after the Budget.

“This time my team thought of doing something out of the ordinary, saying, ‘You go after presenting the budget to each one of the studios or each one of the newspapers and give them inter…’,” she said, explaining how the plan took shape.

She added that the team decided to reach out to universities and invite students to Parliament to hear directly from them about their experience of witnessing the Budget proceedings.

“Therefore, they thought that they would get in touch with universities and come with a group of students with whom they can do this interaction, and that's how this has worked out… I would certainly like to know from you what the experience of sitting in the parliament and listening to a budget was like,” Sitharaman said.

During the interaction, the finance minister also spoke about efforts being made to build a “better India” for today’s students, drawing a contrast with the India she grew up in, ANI reported.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with 30 university students who watched the presentation of the Union Budget 2026–27 live from the Lok Sabha gallery, calling it a break from the usual post-Budget routine of media interviews.

Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the idea came from her team, which suggested doing something different this year instead of heading straight to television studios and newspaper interviews after the Budget.

“This time my team thought of doing something out of the ordinary, saying, ‘You go after presenting the budget to each one of the studios or each one of the newspapers and give them inter…’,” she said, explaining how the plan took shape.

She added that the team decided to reach out to universities and invite students to Parliament to hear directly from them about their experience of witnessing the Budget proceedings.

“Therefore, they thought that they would get in touch with universities and come with a group of students with whom they can do this interaction, and that's how this has worked out… I would certainly like to know from you what the experience of sitting in the parliament and listening to a budget was like,” Sitharaman said.

During the interaction, the finance minister also spoke about efforts being made to build a “better India” for today’s students, drawing a contrast with the India she grew up in, ANI reported.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with 30 university students who watched the presentation of the Union Budget 2026–27 live from the Lok Sabha gallery, calling it a break from the usual post-Budget routine of media interviews.

Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the idea came from her team, which suggested doing something different this year instead of heading straight to television studios and newspaper interviews after the Budget.

“This time my team thought of doing something out of the ordinary, saying, ‘You go after presenting the budget to each one of the studios or each one of the newspapers and give them inter…’,” she said, explaining how the plan took shape.

She added that the team decided to reach out to universities and invite students to Parliament to hear directly from them about their experience of witnessing the Budget proceedings.

“Therefore, they thought that they would get in touch with universities and come with a group of students with whom they can do this interaction, and that's how this has worked out… I would certainly like to know from you what the experience of sitting in the parliament and listening to a budget was like,” Sitharaman said.

During the interaction, the finance minister also spoke about efforts being made to build a “better India” for today’s students, drawing a contrast with the India she grew up in, ANI reported.

Budget 2026 LIVE: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with 30 university students who watched the presentation of the Union Budget 2026–27 live from the Lok Sabha gallery, calling it a break from the usual post-Budget routine of media interviews.

Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the idea came from her team, which suggested doing something different this year instead of heading straight to television studios and newspaper interviews after the Budget.

“This time my team thought of doing something out of the ordinary, saying, ‘You go after presenting the budget to each one of the studios or each one of the newspapers and give them inter…’,” she said, explaining how the plan took shape.

She added that the team decided to reach out to universities and invite students to Parliament to hear directly from them about their experience of witnessing the Budget proceedings.

“Therefore, they thought that they would get in touch with universities and come with a group of students with whom they can do this interaction, and that's how this has worked out… I would certainly like to know from you what the experience of sitting in the parliament and listening to a budget was like,” Sitharaman said.

During the interaction, the finance minister also spoke about efforts being made to build a “better India” for today’s students, drawing a contrast with the India she grew up in, ANI reported.