NEW DELHI: Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha criticised the Union Budget on Tuesday, arguing that it does not fulfill the government’s promise of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ slogan. They claimed that the budget cuts allocations for schemes aimed at minority communities and overlooks the needs of farmers, Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
During the Budget debate, Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan pointed out that funding for minority welfare schemes had been reduced over the years, reported news agency PTI.
“The Budget or any policy document depicts the government’s philosophy. In this Budget of 2025-26, minorities have been totally overlooked. The welfare schemes for minorities, the programmes have been either shut or allocations have been cut,” he said.
Khan cited the pre-matric scholarship for minority students, which had a budget of Rs 433 crore in 2023-24, but only Rs 94 crore was allocated. The amount dropped to Rs 326 crore in 2024-25, yet only Rs 90 crore was spent. This year, the allocation has been reduced further to Rs 195 crore.
Similarly, the post-matric scholarship budget for 2024-25, set at Rs 1,145 crore, has fallen to Rs 413 crore, while the merit-cum-means scholarship scheme for professional courses saw its allocation reduced from Rs 33.8 crore in 2024-25 to just Rs 7.34 crore this time, stated the Samajwadi Party MP.
Khan also noted a sharp reduction in funding for madrassas and minority schemes, which had Rs 10 crore in 2023-24, Rs 2 crore in 2024-25, and only Rs 1 lakh this year.
“The philosophy of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is definitely not behind it. What is the philosophy? I think Golwalkar’s book ‘We and Our Nationhood Defined’, in which they pledge to make minorities second-grade citizens, and ‘Bunch of Thoughts’, in which Muslims have been called enemy number one, and Christians have been called the second threat… That philosophy is working behind this Budget,” he further alleged.
Congress MP Ashok Singh demanded loan waivers for farmers and called for a law to ensure that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops is determined based on input costs.
He also expressed concern about rising unemployment, highlighting the shortage of government jobs and poor conditions in the private sector. Ashok Singh also called for a caste census and proposed that Bharat Ratna be awarded to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On the other hand, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Niranjan Bishi criticized the Budget for failing to address inflation, urging the government to reduce the prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG to ease the burden on the common people.
He also demanded an increase in coal royalties to ensure Odisha receives its fair share.
“Unemployment has increased. The common people, SC and ST groups are very troubled. There is nothing for them in this Budget. If the marginalised communities, the toiling masses don’t develop, how would ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ happen?” he said.
Also, Communist Party of India (CPI) MP PP Suneer accused the Union government of punishing Kerala for its strong commitment to secularism and social justice.
“Since the people of Kerala have repeatedly rejected the BJP’s divisive and corporate-driven politics, this government has chosen to retaliate by choking our state financially,” he alleged.
AA Rahim of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also hit out at the Union government’s economic policies, stating that true economic progress could only be achieved by raising wages and improving purchasing power for the majority of workers, including youth.
“Modi government has failed to address the real concerns of Indian citizens,” he concluded.
