West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee delivered a sharp critique of the Union Budget for 2026–27, arguing that the financial statement presented by the central government provides no meaningful benefits for her state and lacks vision for the wider economy. Her comments came as political tensions rise with the West Bengal assembly elections on the horizon.
Mamata Banerjee labelled the budget as “directionless, visionless and anti-people”, asserting that it fails to address the needs of ordinary citizens, marginalized groups and key sectors of the economy. She claimed that the budgetary proposals do not offer tangible support for women, farmers, youth, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC communities or even common taxpayers across the country.
VIDEO | Kolkata: “It’s a ‘Humpty-Dumpty Budget’, just jugglery of words, it’s anti-women, anti-farmer, anti-education. Centre wants to destroy the economic structure of the country,” says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/LNNrx2YoE8— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 1, 2026
Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before heading to New Delhi, Mamata Banerjee insisted that West Bengal was overlooked in the budget’s allocations. According to her, the financial plan presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman included announcements that were either recycled from earlier proposals or lacked real funding commitments for Bengal’s development.
Mamata Banerjee also accused the Centre of collecting taxes such as GST from West Bengal without returning a fair share in central funding or program investment. She rejected claims that infrastructure projects such as freight corridors or industrial corridors would benefit the state, calling such statements misleading and dismissing them as political rhetoric rather than substantive budgetary backing.
Her critique went beyond regional impasse, with Banerjee arguing that the budget’s shortcomings reflect a deeper neglect of social welfare and public priorities, including cuts in subsidies for education, social security and agricultural inputs, which she said would hurt vulnerable populations.
The budget speech by the Finance Minister, presented earlier in Parliament, outlined several nationwide initiatives, including big infrastructure and economic corridor plans, among other proposals. Yet Mamata Banerjee’s response highlights the brewing political friction between the West Bengal government and the Centre, particularly as the state braces for elections in the coming months.
