BJP MPs hailed the budget as “futuristic” and aimed at building a “Viksit Bharat (developed India)” without burdening the common people. Several states — Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — are headed for Assembly polls this year, fuelling expectations of state-specific announcements to bolster the BJP’s outreach in these regions. Draped in a purple Kanjivaram sari, Sitharaman was widely expected to announce significant allocations for poll-bound Tamil Nadu, but ruling DMK MPs said the state had been overlooked. Even with elections in mind, they have not announced anything for Tamil Nadu. The Centre doesn’t want to give anything, but they want to mine rare earth from Tamil Nadu,” DMK MP Kanimozhi said.

Source: The Telegraph February 02, 2026 03:29 UTC