'Centre Views Bengal As Bangladesh': TMC's BIG Allegation On Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2026, Watch

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday strongly criticised the Union Budget 2026, alleging that West Bengal was entirely ignored during Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech.

Speaking to the media, Banerjee said the Budget lacked vision, failed to address key issues such as employment and farmers' security, and reflected political bias against the state.

'Bengal's Name Not Taken Even Once'

Banerjee pointed out that the Finance Minister's speech lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes, or nearly 5,100 seconds, yet West Bengal was not mentioned even once.

"In these 5,100 seconds, Bengal's name was not taken a single time," he said, calling it a deliberate omission. He questioned how a national Budget could ignore one of India's largest and most populous states.

He further alleged that the Centre views Bengal unfairly, saying, "Otherwise why was Bengal not mentioned even once? It feels like the Centre sees Bengal as Bangladesh."

'No Clear Plan for Jobs or Farmers'

The TMC leader also criticised the Budget for failing to offer concrete solutions for unemployment and farmer distress. While the government spoke about Artificial Intelligence, Skill India and technological advancement, Banerjee said there was no clear explanation of how jobs would actually be created.

"There is no concrete discussion on how employment will be generated for the youth," he said. He also claimed that the Budget offers no financial security for farmers, despite repeated assurances from the Centre.

'Faceless, Baseless and Visionless Budget'

Describing Budget 2026 as "faceless, baseless and visionless," Banerjee said the Centre had no intention of investing in Bengal as it believes spending money there would not yield political gains.

"They knew that even if they spent money in Bengal, they wouldn't win. So from their perspective, they chose not to spend anything on the state," he said.

Political Undercurrents Ahead

Banerjee's remarks come at a time when political tensions between the Centre and the West Bengal government remain high. His comments reflect growing opposition criticism that Budget 2026 prioritises select regions while ignoring others.

The Centre, however, has maintained that the Budget focuses on national growth and long-term development across sectors and regions.