Parliament Budget Session Live Updates: Uproar In Lok Sabha Over Rahul Gandhi's Mention Of Ladakh Standoff; Both Houses Adjourned

After the Lok Sabha was adjourned around 4 pm, the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha have also been adjourned till 11 AM on Tuesday. 

Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil said the Centre has allocated Rs 67,300 crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the 2026–27 Budget, with funds to be released to states upon fulfilment of prescribed conditions. Responding in the Rajya Sabha, he clarified that the reduction in revised estimates to Rs 17,000 crore in the current fiscal was due to states not meeting conditions and pending complaint redressal, following a review meeting in September.

On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's statement inside the Parliament, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "National security is very important. Don't play with national security by speaking the language of anti-India elements. Don't make the national security issue a political weapon, an instrument to make some kind of damaging statement in the parliament. We must take serious note of all matters related to the national interest..."

After chaos and uproar engulfed the Lok Sabha following the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi raised the Ladakh stand-off issue. 

Medha Vishram Kulkarni seconds the Motion of Thanks on President's Address.

In Rajya Sabha, Congress's Digvijaya Singh raises the issue of former student activist Umar Khalid and Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk's incarceration. He appeals for justice for them. He alleges hate speech by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, ask the House if they'd demand his resignation.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 4 PM on Monday, February 2, amid chaos over the face-off between Rahul Gandhi and the government over former Army chief General MM Naravane's memoir.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 3 pm.

"What does it contain which is scaring them so much? If they are not scared, I should be allowed to read on," said Rahul Gandhi after the Speaker ruled against him, quoting from a magazine story containing quotes from the unpublished works of former Army chief General MM Naravane (Retired).

Speaker Om Birla responds to Rahul Gandhi, saying that Parliamentary rules cannot be challenged in the house.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, said the Speaker has ruled that articles from magazines cannot be quoted in the Lok Sabha, stressing that debates must adhere to established rules.

Home Minister Amit Shah also joined in, backing the objection and urging Rahul Gandhi to rely only on formally published material. Shah argued that such references should not be part of any parliamentary proceeding. The objections led to a ruckus in the parliament with the Opposition members protesting the interruptions.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objects to LoP, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, citing quotes from an unpublished magazine story in the House, which is against the rules of the House. Rahul Gandhi stated that his source is authentic and includes quotes from the unpublished memoirs of a former Army General MM Naravane. 

Rahul Gandhi raises the issue of the Ladakh standoff in the Lok Sabha. He said, "No debate on who is patriotic and who is not. Our patriotism is not buried."

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi begins his speech in the Parliament. 

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will hold a Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the Union Budget 2026 and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The meeting will be held at 9:30 am in New Delhi and will be attended by top NDA leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, and all other NDA ministers and MPs will be present at the meeting.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, slammed the opposition and said, "The Opposition is not ready to see the positive aspects of the Budget. I cannot do anything about it. The entire world is watching the Budget of the country; this is not just for Indians." 

RJD Leader Misa Bharati criticised the Union Budget 2026 on Monday, saying that several issues which are important for Bihar have been left. "There are several issues in Bihar, several demands of the people there which have not been met. Budget Session is underway. So, we all thought that the burning topics of Bihar be raised, especially that of the special status to Bihar," she added.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi is likely to speak on the budget today in the parliament.

The government will present the Union Budget 2026 in front of the parliament for a joint discussion. 

Union Minister JP Nadda on Sunday praised the Union Budget, calling it people-centric, welfare-focused and forward-looking. He said the Budget provides a fresh direction to India’s economic growth and aligns with the vision of transforming the country into a developed nation.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the new Income Tax Act will take effect from April 1, 2026. She also proposed extending the deadline for filing revised income tax returns from December 31 to March 31, with taxpayers required to pay a nominal fee.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the Union Budget 2026–27 as a “highway of opportunities”, calling it historic in nature. He said the Budget reflects the growing strength and empowerment of women in the country. The Prime Minister added that the Budget lays a strong foundation for India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047 and reinforces the path to a brighter future.

Mehul Pandya, Managing Director and Group CEO of CareEdge Ratings, said the Union Budget 2026-27 reflects a strong push towards India’s next phase of growth, with increased focus on manufacturing, infrastructure and MSMEs. He noted that the rise in capital expenditure to Rs 12.2 lakh crore highlights the government’s commitment to long-term capacity building. Pandya also said the Budget sends a positive signal on financial sector strength, with healthier bank balance sheets and improved asset quality. He added that the proposed high-level committee for Viksit Bharat and reforms in corporate bonds, municipal bonds and foreign investment rules would support deeper capital markets and long-term funding.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday welcomed the Union Budget, calling it balanced and forward-looking. He said the budget aligns with the state government’s development agenda, reflects India’s focus on self-reliance and will help strengthen the country’s position as a manufacturing hub.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026–27 places strong emphasis on turning cities such as Jalandhar and Ludhiana, along with several others across the country, into major growth and development hubs. He also said the recently concluded free trade agreement with the European Union will help Indian manufacturers, including those in Punjab, expand their export opportunities.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi strongly criticised the Union Budget 2026, calling it a “missed opportunity” and alleging that it failed to address key concerns of common people, farmers and youth.

“This budget has been very disappointing; there was nothing in the budget for the common people... The rupee is continuously weakening, which is hitting importers hard, and they said nothing about that. There was nothing in the market you're seeing fall either – nothing for farmers, youth. This budget has ignored many things... I will call this budget a missed opportunity,” she said.

"... I am happy with the budgetary allocations announced by the Finance Minister as part of this year's budget... The overall budget for the Ministry of Defence is going to be 7.85 lakh crores, which is a 15 % increase over the allocation for last year. More importantly, in the area of CAPEX, the overall capital expenditure outlay has gone up by 21 % to about 2.9 lakh crores. And most critically, when it comes to the modernisation, budget is actually spent on modern equipment and other technological upgrades required for boosting the capabilities of our armed forces...," said Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Talking about Union Budget 2026, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj says, "This budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman under the able leadership of PM Modi, is the 9th budget... It further strengthens the foundation of a developed India... It serves every sector and class. Medical hubs will be created to promote medical tourism in India. Cancer medicines have become even cheaper... This budget has been crafted with the youth-centric power at its centre..."

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday, reacting to the Union Budget 202,6 said that it will increase inflation and create unemployment. 'Central government has forgotten Goa', Kejriwal added. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticised the Union Budget 2026-27, saying that it has once again ignored the interests of Tamil Nadu.

"The Union Government's Budget, which was eagerly awaited, has delivered an even greater disappointment than usual," ANI quoted Stalin as saying.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Punjab's Jalandhar within hours of the Budget being presented in the Parliament, where he lauded the Union Budget, saying,"This budget places a strong focus on developing many cities across the country, such as Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Hoshiarpur, as major centres of growth. Substantial provisions have been made for the development of these cities. Punjab is among those states in the country that have a rich tradition of agriculture alongside small industries and MSMEs. Over the past few years, MSMEs across the country have received financial support amounting to several lakh crore rupees. In this budget as well, provisions have been made for MSMEs with funds running into thousands of crores. In recent years, India’s exports have grown significantly, and this budget includes several major announcements for exporters as well. Friends, India is now emerging as one of the world’s leading exporters of textiles and garments. Therefore, this budget also includes multiple announcements for the textile sector and for our weaver brothers and sisters."

The former Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, hit out at the govt over the Union Budget 2026, saying 'the numbers have no credibility'. "... I am not sure if the government and the Finance Minister have read the Economic Survey 2025-26. If they had, it appears they have decided to discard it completely and fall back on their favourite pastime of throwing words, usually acronyms, at the people,” Chidambaram said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her budget speech on Sunday, announced the launch of ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’ (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multi-lingual artificial intelligence tool to integrate agristack portals and the ICAR package on farm practices.

Rejecting the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's 'course correction' criticism of the Union Budget 2026, the Finance Minister said that India’s economic fundamentals remain strong. Stating that political criticism was welcome, she added that she was open to responding to arguments backed by facts, underlining that the Budget focuses on protecting ordinary citizens from global economic shocks.

The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, appreciated the Union Budget 2026, describing it 'reform-oriented' and rejoicing over the announced benefits for Assam. 

In a series of X posts, Himanta said the Budget maintained a fine balance between India's global aspirations and grassroots development.

Reacting to the Union Budget 2026, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, not only seemed unimpressed with the budget but also accused the BJP of wanting to “destroy the economic structure of the country”.

"They want to destroy the economic structure of the country, the constitutional structure of this country, the independent agency including the infrastructural facilities, the economy, the social sector, the economic sector, federal sector. All is been vanished. Only talking too much and less work. What they do? Only they use some jugglery of words... You have to give the advantage to the people who is common people can enjoy the facilities," she said.

The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Capital Expenditure of Rs 12.22 lakh cr works out to be 4.4 per cent of GDP. 

"We have announced that Rs 12.22 lakh crore is coming through public expenditure. This time it is 4.4 per cent of GDP, which is the highest at least in the last 10 years, it could even be the highest if you were to take data of earlier period," Sitharaman said at a post-budget conference.

Talking about the aims of the Union Budget 2026, Finance Minister Sitharaman said that the Budget is designed to maintain growth momentum through sustained economic expansion. She said it focuses on building an ecosystem with structural reforms to improve productivity and create an environment that ensures employment generation across sectors.

Union Budget 2026-27: The Union Budget 2026–27 has allocated over Rs ,000 crore to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), marking a nearly 25 per cent decline from the previous year’s allocation.

The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026-27, announced the inclusion of seven additional rare diseases under the import duty exemption for medicines and specialised medical foods.

Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi has slammed the union budget for the upcoming financial years by stating that it offers nothing to the common people of India. He further stated that the centre should take necessary steps to provide jobs to the youth.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the union budget for the upcoming financial year offers no solution. "Budget offers no solutions, not even slogans to hide absence of policy," Kharge was quoted as saying by PTI.

"Today's budget is historic. This is the budget of 'Viksit Bharat'. This budget will become a strong root in our country, becoming 'Atmanirbhar' by 2047. It emphasises reforms. This budget addresses the concerns of villages, the poor, farmers, youth, and women. If we look at the department’s budget alone, it has been increased by 21 per cent. I am happy to share that out of the total rural development budget, more than Rs 55,600 crore has been allocated specifically for the Viksit Bharat Gram Yojana," Chouhan was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the budget provides a strong foundation for the idea of developed India. He further asserted that this budget strengthens the balance between security, development, and self-reliance.

"This budget lives up to the sentiments and expectations of the people. Furthermore, this budget provides a strong foundation for PM Modi's vision of a self-reliant India and a developed India by 2047, with adequate provisions made for the upliftment of all sections of society. This budget allocates Rs 7.85 lakh crore for the defence sector... This budget, following the historic success of Operation Sindoor, has reinforced our resolve to further strengthen the country's defence system.... This year, a provision of Rs 2.19 lakh crore has been made for the overall capital expenditure of our armed forces, and the key focus of this budget is the modernisation of our three armed forces. For this, a provision of Rs 1.85 lakh crore has been made... In short, this budget strengthens the balance between security, development, and self-reliance," Singh stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will transform several sectors of the country. "The 140 crore citizens of India are not satisfied with being the fastest-growing economy; we want to become the world’s third-largest economy as soon as possible,” says PM Modi. 

The finance minister has announced that the centre will upgrade 4 Telescope Infra facilities in the upcoming months. It will also build at least one girls hostel in every district of the country.

The centre has allocated Rs 7.84 lakh crore to the Ministry of Defence for the upcoming financial year. The budget for defence in the previous financial year was Rs 6.81 lakh crore.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has stated that there were no major announcements for Kerala. "We got very few details. There were 3-4 headlines, but we were waiting for the All India Institute of Ayurveda. Where is it? We wanted this in Kerala. We have had a long tradition of Ayurveda. But we didn't hear Kerala's name. We heard the names of fishermen and coconuts - that could be Kerala...But when they spoke of ship repair, they mentioned Varanasi and Patna names but not Kerala. This is a little surprising. But perhaps there are more details in the budget document. I have yet to read it. There were very few details in the speech though," Tharoor asserted.

The Union Budget 2026 allocates a budget of Rs 7.8 lakh crore for Defence Ministry for the year 2026-27. Defence forces to get Rs 2.19 lakh crore for modernisation. 

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh calls Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech "non-transparent". He points out that the budget speech gave no idea of budgetary allocations for key programmes, schemes.

Congress condemns Union Budget 2026, says it falls woefully short of hype generated about it. The opposition party terms the budget "totally lacklustre".

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the basic customs duty exemption on import of goods required for nuclear power projects will be extended till 2035. "I propose to extend the basic customs duty exemption on import of goods required for nuclear power projects till 2035 and expand it for all nuclear plants irrespective of their capacity," the finance minister stated.

"It is proposed to provide basic customs duty exemption to the import of capital goods required for the processing of critical minerals in India," the finance minister stated.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed to reduce customs duty on parts used for manufacturing civilian training and other aircraft. Apart from this, the customs duty on raw materials imported for making aircraft parts will also be exempted.

The finance minister has stated that the government will develop a cadre of "corporate mitras" in Tier-II and Tier-III cities in efforts to help the MSMEs.

"I propose to extend time available for revising returns from 31st December to up to 31st March with the payment of a nominal fee. I also propose to stagger the timeline for filing of tax returns - individuals with ITR 1 and ITR 2 will continue to file till 31st July and non-audit business cases or trust are proposed to be allowed time till 31st August," the finance minister asserted. 

The finance minister has stated that a common safe harbour margin of 15.5 per cent will apply to all the IT services of the country. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her address, stated that the individuals who fail to disclose on-immovable foreign assets with value of less than Rs 20 lakh will be granted major relief from prosecution.

In a major update for the Indians planning to travel abroad, the finance minister has announced a cut in the Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on overseas tour programme packages. The TCS rate on overseas tour packages will be reduced from the current 5 per cent and 20 per cent to 2 per cent.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stated that the centre will promote the cultivation and post-harvest processing of sandalwoods. "Sandalwood is closely linked to India's social and cultural heritage. Our government will partner with state governments to promote focused cultivation and post-harvest processing to restore the glory of the Indian sandalwood ecosystem," the FM asserted.

In her address, the finance minister has proposed rule-based automated process for small taxpayers in the upcoming financial year.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the centre will also launch Bharat Vistar, a multilingual AI tool to integrate agri stack.

In her address, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the centre will establish NIMHANS 2.0 to set up a premier mental health institute in North India. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the tourism sector has a potential to boost the employment in the country, adding that it will also improve the local economy. “The tourism sector has the potential to play a large role in the employment generation, forex earnings and expanding the local economy,” the finance minister stated.  

The finance minister asserted that the centre is planning to promote astrophysics and astronomy through learning experiences. The telescope infrastructure facilities will be upgraded across the country, she informed. 

The centre will build at least one girls hostel in every district of the country, announced the finance minister.  

The centre will launch schemes to boost research, training, and awareness in traditional medicine sector. It will further scale up veterinary education and services by adding over 20,000 professionals

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the centre will continue to develop infrastructure in the Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities.

The finance minister asserted that a high-level committee will be set-up by the centre to boost the banking sector of the country.

The finance minister has stated that an Education-to-Employment Enterprises Standing Committee will be set up to boost the service sector of the country. The committee will focus on employment generation, and export opportunities.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed seven new high-speed rail corridors to boost the infrastructure of the country. The routes include Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri.

The finance minister has stated that it will establish new freight corridors connecting Dangkuni in the east to Surat in the west. Apart from this, it will also operate 20 new national waterways over the next five years.

The finance minister, in her address, has proposed the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Initiative to strengthen several key sectors, including khadi, handloom, and handicraft.

The finance minister has announced that the capital expenditure has been increased to Rs 12.2 lakh crore for the upcoming financial year.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed a programme with five key components for the labour-intensive textile sector. The centre has launched the National Fibre Scheme, aimed at achieving self-reliance in natural fibres.

FM Sitharaman has stated that India will establish dedicated rare earth corridors in the mineral rich states of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The finance minister stated that the centre will invest Rs 10,000 crore in biopharmaceuticals over the next five years.

The finance minister stated that the budget is driven by the ambition of the youth of this country. She asserted that the NDA government is confident in achieving all the targets. 

In her address, Finance Minister Sitharaman asserted that the NDA government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on action.

The opposition leaders, ahead of the budget presentation, staged a protest inside the parliament premises.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has begun her address to present the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27. 

The Railways is likely to witness a major boost in the Union Budget 2026-27. The centre is planning to spend around Rs 2.5 lakh crore to upgrade the railways infrastructure.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will soon present the Union Budget at the Lok Sabha. People associated with several key sectors, including defence, infrastructure, and green energy will closely watch the budget.

The presentation of budget is telecast live on Sansad TV. The residents have the option to listen the full budget on Sansad TV which presents the key details to ensure outreach to all the regions of the country.

The Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the union budget 2026-27. The finance minister will present the budget shortly in the Lok Sabha. 

Congress MP Manish Tewari alleged that the NDA government has not addressed the structural problems in the Indian economy. "There are structural problems in the Indian economy which have not been addressed in a decade... Private capital investment has not kicked in...Foreign direct investment has declined...I hope the finance minister will recognize the structural inequities in the Indian economy and would be honest enough to address it," Tewari stated.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has arrived at the parliament. On being asked about the budget, Gandhi asserted that she does not have many expectations. "I don't have much expectations, but let's see," she asserted. 

Zuhaib Khan, an artist from Amroha has made a charcoal sketch ahead of the presentation of the union budget. FM Sitharaman will start presenting the union budget from 11 am.

Deloitte economist Rumki Majumdar has affirmed that India can achieve the growth rate of over 7 per cent in the 2026-27 financial year. “It is very important to have the FTAs signed because India needs to de-risk itself from geopolitical uncertainties. These uncertainties are weighing on our exports and on the overall economy. The government’s emphasis on diversifying trade and expanding India’s geographic reach is therefore crucial, and these FTAs can help in that regard. Of course, FTAs will take some time to be implemented. However, for their implementation to be successful, the supply side of the economy must improve. This will create an ecosystem that supports the outcomes of the FTAs that India has signed. I believe that FTAs, together with reforms, will show what India can achieve and help take the economy to a 7% growth rate over the next 20–25 years,” Majumdar was quoted as saying by PTI.

The cabinet has approved the union budget, set to be presented shortly by the finance minister in the Lok Sabha at 11 am.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the parliament ahead of the budget presentation in the Lok Sabha. Finance Minister Sitharaman will present the budget at 11 am.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the budget that the NDA government presents is only for the privileged people. "What expectations can we have from the budget being presented by the govt from whom we don't have any expectations?... In the last few budgets we have seen, it was for only 5% of the people. The govt should assess if it has fulfilled all the promises it had made," Yadav stated.

The finance minister has arrived at the Parliament to attend the key Cabinet meeting ahead of presenting the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.

After meeting with the president, the finance minister headed for a Cabinet meeting that will approve the budget. FM Sitharaman will start presenting the union budget from 11 am.

The defence sector of the country is likely to get a major boost in the Union Budget 2026-27. The defence-related spending is expected to rise to Rs 2.3 lakh crore from Rs 1.8 lakh crore last year, reported Bloomberg.

Congress senior leader Shashi Tharoor stated that the centre should focus on the employment sector. "We are all looking forward to hearing what the Finance Minister has to tell us. The Economic Survey projects good economic growth...Whether that growth is going to be accompanied by jobs? Jobless growth doesn't help anyone. So, we are anxious to see what kind of schemes they have in mind to generate more jobs in this country for young people of India. Apart from that, there will be many things. We in Kerala, with an election coming up, are looking to see what benefits the Central Govt might give us," Tharoor was quoted as saying by ANI.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has headed to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet President Droupadi Murmu before presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived along with her team with the Budget tablet outside the Ministry of Finance. She will present her ninth consecutive budget in the Lok Sabha today from 11 am.

As per the government data, the Indian economy will grow at a better-than-expected 6.5 per cent in FY2026, driven by increased investment and improved manufacturing.

The Finance Minister tabled the Economic Survey 2025-26 in the Lok Sabha on January 29. In the Economic Survey, the government predicted that the nation's economic growth would be at 6.8-7.2 per cent in FY27, supported by strong macro fundamentals and a series of regulatory reforms.

The presentation of the union budget is telecast live on Sansad TV from 11 AM onwards. The residents have the option to listen the full budget on Sansad TV which presents the key details in multiple languages to ensure outreach to all the regions of the country.

The union budget every year is presented on February 1 so that it can be passed and implemented before the new financial year that begins on April 1. The budget will be tabled in the Lok Sabha after the finance minister's speech for further debate.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive budget in the Lok Sabha as part of the budget session of the parliament. The budget is likely to focus on several sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, civil aviation, and sports.