New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Opposition parties on Sunday described the Union Budget as "hollow" and "directionless", claiming it failed to address key political and economic challenges in the country while expenditure had been slashed in several sectors affecting the common man.

The Congress said the Budget was "totally lacklustre" and alleged that the government has refused to go for course correction and is blind to India's real crises.

It "fails" the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship as it does not address several challenges identified by the Economic Survey and experts, the principal opposition party said.

"The Modi Government has run out of ideas. Budget 2026 does not provide a single solution to India's many economic, social, and political challenges," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, adding there was no policy vision or political will, and the Budget provided no solutions or even slogans to paper over the absence of substance.

"'Mission Mode' is now 'Challenge Route'. Reform Express rarely stops at any "Reform" Junction. Net result: no policy vision, no political will," the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said in a social media post.

"This Budget offers no solutions, not even slogans to hide the absence of policy!" the Congress chief said.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said the youths were without jobs, manufacturing was falling and farmers were in distress, but the Budget has refused course correction.

"Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks - all ignored," the Congress leader said.

"A Budget that refuses course correction, blind to India’s real crises," Gandhi said in a post on X.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the Union Budget for 2026-27 as a “directionless and visionless Humpty Dumpty”, claiming that it had nothing to offer to the common man and her state.

Banerjee also alleged that allocation for key sectors had been slashed in the Budget.

"This Budget is directionless, visionless, actionless and anti-people. It is also anti-women, anti-farmer, anti-education and against the SC, ST and OBC... There is nothing on offer for Bengal... in the Humpty Dumpty budget," she said, adding that the "economy will be totally derailed".

TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said it is a "faceless, baseless and visionless Budget" and accused the Centre of branding people of West Bengal as "Bangladeshis". He also attacked the finance minister for not mentioning the state in her Budget speech.

Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the Budget, saying it has exposed the BJP-led Centre's continued discrimination and neglect towards the southern state.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M K Stalin said the Budget was hugely disappointing for his state. The interests of Tamil Nadu have been completely ignored and the Budget has got nothing for the poor, women, farmers and the marginalised, he said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Budget was meant for the "top 5 per cent" population, as he challenged the government to declare the per-capita income of the remaining 95 per cent of the populace.

The result of the BJP's Budget is out - the stock market has crashed, he noted.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram said the government and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seem to have completely discarded the Economic Survey and fallen back on their "favourite pastime of throwing acronyms at people".

"Our verdict is that the Budget Speech and the Budget fail the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship," Chidambaram said, as he listed out sectors where spending has been reduced.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the speech by the finance minister was "non-transparent" as it gave no idea of the Budgetary allocations for key programmes and schemes.

"It is clear after 90 minutes that Budget 2026/27 falls woefully short of the hype that was generated about it. It was totally lacklustre," Ramesh said on X.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said the Budget presented by the Centre, with its various schemes, projects, promises and assurances, raises concern about their future outcomes.

The Left parties called the Union Budget "anti-people, anti-federal", and accused the Centre of promoting the interests of the wealthy at the cost of the common people.

"It is growing inequality that Budget 2026-27 is going to further promote and further aggravate the crisis that is afflicting the Indian economy. It is also a woefully inadequate response to the issues arising from what is happening in the world economy," the CPI(M) said.

Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P Sandosh Kumar said the Budget speech revealed a "deliberate political choice to look away from people's hardships while concentrating power and resources in fewer hands".

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said the Budget will increase inflation and also create unemployment.

RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said, "Today's Budget has once again failed to address the two most serious issues affecting the country's vast population – rapidly rising income inequality and alarming unemployment." PTI AO/SKC SKC RT RT