Budget 2026 Live: Parliament is set to hold a general discussion on the Union Budget 2026 on Monday, a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive budget in the Lok Sabha. The discussion is part of the ongoing budget session and will be followed by detailed debate and voting on the demands for grants later. Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to address the House, as indicated by his statement to reporters after the budget presentation.
As per parliamentary procedure, members will debate the broad outlines of the budget during the general discussion before moving on to ministry-wise scrutiny at a later stage.
Rahul Gandhi postponed comment on Parliament
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday refused to comment on the Union Budget outside Parliament and said he would raise his views in the House.
Asked by reporters what he thought about the budget, Gandhi said, “I will speak tomorrow“Using the platform provided by Parliament.”
The Congress leader was also accompanied by his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. Both left the Parliament complex without answering media questions.
Rahul Gandhi raised ‘unseen’ issues
Later in the day, Gandhi asked Ax to list the major concerns that the budget had failed to address.
His post read, “Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings in decline. Farmers in distress. Global shocks rising – all ignored. A budget that refuses to reform is ignorant of India’s real woes.”
Sitharaman presented the ninth consecutive budget
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget for 2026-27, with the government describing it as a roadmap for reforms and a vision for the second quarter of the 21st century.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman reiterated the government’s focus on ‘self-reliant India’ and announced a number of measures aimed at economic growth and consumer relief. However, the most notable thing was that the income tax slabs will remain unchanged, at least till the next budget.
Other work in Lok Sabha
According to the list of proceedings of the Lok Sabha for the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh are scheduled to present the 14th report of the Trade Advisory Committee.
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As per parliamentary procedure, members will debate the broad outlines of the budget during the general discussion before moving on to ministry-wise scrutiny at a later stage.
Rahul Gandhi postponed comment on Parliament
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday refused to comment on the Union Budget outside Parliament and said he would raise his views in the House.
Asked by reporters what he thought about the budget, Gandhi said, “I will speak tomorrow“Using the platform provided by Parliament.”
The Congress leader was also accompanied by his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. Both left the Parliament complex without answering media questions.
Rahul Gandhi raised ‘unseen’ issues
Later in the day, Gandhi asked Ax to list the major concerns that the budget had failed to address.
His post read, “Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings in decline. Farmers in distress. Global shocks rising – all ignored. A budget that refuses to reform is ignorant of India’s real woes.”
Sitharaman presented the ninth consecutive budget
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented the Union Budget for 2026-27, with the government describing it as a roadmap for reforms and a vision for the second quarter of the 21st century.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman reiterated the government’s focus on ‘self-reliant India’ and announced a number of measures aimed at economic growth and consumer relief. However, the most notable thing was that the income tax slabs will remain unchanged, at least till the next budget.
Other work in Lok Sabha
According to the list of proceedings of the Lok Sabha for the day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh are scheduled to present the 14th report of the Trade Advisory Committee.
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February 02, 2026 8:28:06 am First
Budget 2026 Live: Lok Sabha to begin debate on motion of thanks today
Budget 2026 Live: Lok Sabha will discuss the motion of thanks on the President’s address on Monday.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will initiate the discussion on behalf of the BJP, while party MP Tejaswi Surya will support the motion. A total of 18 hours have been allotted for the debate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi can reply to the discussion on February 4.
February 02, 2026 8:17:19 am First
Budget 2026 Live: Government praised for growth-first approach, Opposition criticizes boycott
Budget 2026 Live: The Union Budget 2026-27 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday evoked sharp political reactions, with the BJP hailing it as a growth-oriented roadmap and the Opposition criticizing it as a boycott.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders described the budget as a bold blueprint for a developed India 2047, with a focus on self-reliance, expansion of infrastructure and employment opportunities for the youth.
However, opposition parties termed it a “missed opportunity”, alleging that key concerns such as inflation and unemployment were not adequately addressed. He also claimed that states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha were sidelined in the allocation.
February 02, 2026 8:15:55 am First
Budget 2026 Live: ‘Education, minorities neglected in the budget; “Tamil Nadu has been ignored again,” says Congress MP.
Budget 2026 Live: On Union Budget 2026, Congress MP Manickam Tagore criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accusing her of neglecting education, minority affairs, research and social spending. He said that compared with inflation there appears to be “stagnation in spending”.
According to ANI report, Tagore also claimed that Tamil Nadu has once again been ignored in the budget, that allocations related to rare minerals will benefit “close friends of PM Modi” and that forests and natural resources will be exploited.
He alleged that states like Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala will have to bear the brunt of this exploitation.
February 02, 2026 8:01:03 am First
Budget 2026 Live: PM Modi said the budget strengthens India’s global role
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, underscoring the country’s ambitions to emerge as one of the world’s leading economies.
Modi said, “India’s 140 crore citizens are not only satisfied with being the fastest growing economy, but we also want to become the third largest global economy as soon as possible. This is the resolve of crores of citizens of the country.”
The Prime Minister said that India’s role as a reliable democratic partner and reliable supplier of quality goods is continuously growing. He said the benefits of the 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.
February 02, 2026 7:59:05 am First
Budget 2026 Live: Sitharaman interacts with students after budget presentation
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 routine of post-Budget media interviews.
Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the idea came from her team, who suggested doing something different this year instead of going straight to television studios and newspaper interviews after the Budget.
“This time my team thought of doing something different from the usual, saying, ‘You go to each studio or each newspaper after the budget is presented and interview them…”’, he explains how the plan took shape.
He said the team decided to reach out to universities and invite students to Parliament to hear first-hand about their experience of watching the budget proceedings.
“So, they thought they would approach the universities and come up with a group of students with whom they could have this conversation, and that’s how it worked… I would definitely like to know from you what was the experience of sitting in Parliament and hearing the Budget,” Sitharaman said.
During the conversation, the Finance Minister also talked about the efforts being made to build a “better India” for today’s students, which is a stark contrast to the India she grew up in, ANI reported.
February 02, 2026 7:40:09 am First
Budget 2026 LIVE: Rahul said ‘will speak tomorrow’ on Union Budget 2026
Budget 2026 Live: Just after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament on Sunday, Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi declined to comment.
Asked by reporters outside Parliament what he thought about the budget, Gandhi said he would use the House as a platform to share his views.
Rahul Gandhi said, “I will speak tomorrow using the platform provided by Parliament.”
