Last Updated:
Union Budget 2025: Nirmala Sitharaman will present a record eighth consecutive budget for the financial year 2025-26 on Saturday, February 1.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman | File Images/ANI
Union Budget 2025: On the eve of the Union Budget 2025, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi took a sharp jibe at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, predicting how she will “look” tomorrow, February 1.
Sitharaman will present a record eighth consecutive budget for the financial year 2025-26. Experts said that it will likely include measures to boost economic growth and relieve the middle class facing high prices and stagnant wages.
Rahul Gandhi said that the finance minister would carry a briefcase and a photo would be taken, but no Dalit, tribal, backward class person, or minority would be seen in the image. He made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Delhi.
“There are 90 officers who will prepare the budget tomorrow. Out of 90, three officers are from OBC. Your population is 50 per cent and tomorrow if 100 rupees are distributed in the budget, then your officers will decide on only five rupees,” he added.
#DelhiElection2025 | Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “…Tomorrow you will see that the finance minister will go with a briefcase. A photo will come. You will not see a single Dalit, a tribal, a backward class person or a minority in the photo. There are 90… pic.twitter.com/HNqcvDOTXd— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2025
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman becomes the focal point on Budget Day for several reasons, with her sarees often drawing as much attention as her economic policies. The budget briefcase that she carries also becomes a point of discussion.
Rahul Gandhi’s remark came days after he acknowledged that Congress did not protect the interests of Dalits and backward communities as it should have after the 1990s. Gandhi added that if the party had retained the confidence of the marginalised communities, RSS would have never been able to “come to power”.
“I have to say in the past 10-15 years what Congress should have done it did not do. If Congress maintained the confidence of Dalits, backward classes and most backwards, RSS would have never been able to come to power,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Union Budget 2025
As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2025-26 on Saturday, expectations are high across sectors of the economy and segments of society.
From the middle class to the corporates, everybody has a wishlist. This time, the expectations from Sitharaman are especially high as the Budget 2025 comes at a time when consumption in the country is subdued and the capital expenditure (capex) is at a lower level.
Tomorrow, one of the major announcements could be on the relaxation of income tax for individuals, especially those earning up to Rs 15 lakh.
According to reports, the finance minister might raise the standard deduction limit from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh, apart from raising rebates under 87A to Rs 10 lakh and introducing various deductions under the new tax regime.
