01 February,2026 03:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday said that she had hoped for a “reformatory budget”. File Pic/PTI
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday questioned the missing areas from the Union Budget 2026, saying it failed to meet expectations at a time of global economic uncertainty.
In a post on social media platform X, Chaturvedi said she had hoped for a "reformatory budget" as promised by the Prime Minister. However, she described the budget as disappointing and said it missed the opportunity to clearly present India's long-term vision.
She pointed out that while the Finance Minister wore a handloom saree from Tamil Nadu, a state heading into elections, the budget speech did not address the impact of high US tariffs on Tirupur's textile industry. According to her, several export-driven sectors are suffering losses, while India remains one of the most highly tariffed nations globally.
Chaturvedi also raised concerns about the weakening rupee, saying Indian importers are being badly affected and the budget did little to ease their difficulties.
Highlighting employment issues, she said the budget did not adequately address joblessness, underemployment, or the creation of quality jobs. She added that rising inflation and stagnant incomes were also ignored.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further criticised the absence of support for start-ups, technology innovation, and research. She said farmers were once again overlooked, with no major focus on agri-tech, food supply chains, storage infrastructure, easier credit, or climate change adaptation.
She concluded by saying that much-needed reforms to revive India's stagnant manufacturing sector were glaringly missing from the budget.
Mumbai BJP President and MLA Ameet Satam on Saturday welcomed the Union Budget presented by the Modi government, calling it development-oriented, growth-focused, and pragmatic. He said the budget includes several major initiatives that will accelerate Mumbai's development and create employment opportunities.
Speaking to the media in Mumbai, Satam said the budget supports India's journey towards becoming Vishwa Guru. He added that India has now become the world's fourth-largest economy and one of the fastest to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Referring to the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Satam highlighted the announcement of seven high-speed rail corridors across the country. One of these will be the Mumbai-Pune corridor, which he said will make travel between the two cities faster and more convenient.
He also spoke about the tax exemptions announced for tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturers, saying this will greatly benefit Mumbai's ambitious "Paatal Lok" project. Conceptualised by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the project aims to build a 70-kilometre underground tunnel network to ease traffic congestion in the city.
Satam also highlighted the financial assistance announced for the Indian Institute of Creative Technology in Mumbai. The institute will help set up Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics content creator laboratories in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges across the country.
He added that the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector has been recognised as a growth engine in the budget, with liquidity support of Rs 7 lakh crore.
"Mumbai has a large number of registered MSMEs. This decision will boost industrial growth and generate employment," Satam said.
