UNION BUDGET 2026 FAILS THE COMMON PEOPLE

Muhammed Shafi, National Acting President of the Social Democratic Party of India, has strongly criticised the Union Budget 2026, calling it a document filled with grand claims and self praise but lacking any constructive plan to provide real relief to the common people of the country who are battling unemployment and relentless price rise.

At a time when households are struggling with soaring costs of food, fuel, education, healthcare, and housing, the budget offers little beyond inflated projections and long term promises. It fails to address the everyday economic distress faced by citizens and appears disconnected from the lived realities of ordinary Indians.

The middle class has been completely ignored in this budget. Despite persistent inflation and rising expenses, income tax slabs remain unchanged, placing an increased burden on salaried families whose purchasing power continues to shrink. By refusing to provide tax relief or income support, the government risks weakening domestic consumption and further slowing economic recovery.

Farmers, who form the backbone of the country, have once again been left disappointed. The budget does not speak about a legally guaranteed minimum support price, nor does it offer meaningful incentives to small and unorganised farmers who are facing rising input costs and unpredictable markets. Without income security, rural distress will only deepen.

Equally alarming is the neglect of labourers and unorganised workers. Millions of daily wage earners, migrant workers, and gig workers remain trapped in a financial crisis, yet the budget announces no effective welfare schemes or employment measures to uplift them. Silence on labour protection and income support reflects a serious failure of social responsibility.

The Finance Minister repeatedly invokes the slogan Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, yet the budget contains no concrete plans or targeted programmes to uplift minority communities. The absence of focused interventions in education, employment, and economic empowerment exposes the gap between rhetoric and reality.

Muhammed Shafi stated that a people centric budget must prioritise employment, price control, income security, and social justice. Development cannot be measured only through infrastructure numbers while large sections of society are pushed further into insecurity and exclusion. The Social Democratic Party of India demands a complete reorientation of economic policy that truly serves all sections of the nation.