New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday praised the Modi government for the Union Budget 2026-27, calling it a 'Sarva Mangalkari' and 'Sarvjan Hitay Sarvjan Sukhaye' budget aimed at inclusive growth and national progress. Participating in the budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, Thakur said the budget reflects the continuation of what he described as a “12-year reform express” that has moved India from “policy paralysis to policy performance”, from “leakage to delivery”, from “megabytes to gigabytes”, from “megawatts to gigawatts”, and from “corruption to confidence”.

Taking a swipe at the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Thakur said, “Sir (Rahul Gandhi) was talking about the grip. He showed his shortcomings. During their tenure, they did so much corruption that they brought India’s economy to a trembling position.” He said that after the Modi government came to power, India became the world’s fourth-largest economy. Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Thakur said, “He was talking about the smile of Nirmala ji. Under the Modi government, there have been such decisions... Look at women's empowerment -- there is a woman President and a woman Finance Minister.”

Thakur congratulated Sitharaman for presenting the Union Budget for the ninth time. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the opportunity to speak in the House. “I want to congratulate Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting the Union Budget for the ninth time. Not only a budget, but she has given a reason to smile for 140 crore people,” he said. Highlighting the role of women, he said, “The Finance Minister is a woman. It is the blessing of God on women as they take care of the kitchen, save and take care of the family. Our women are skilled at the ‘ease of managing the budget’.”

Thakur said there are three main responsibilities -- knowledge, power and money -- and women have proven their capability in handling them. “Indian women are born economists with rare foresight and natural accounting skills. It will not be wrong to say this,” he said. Calling the budget “Sarva Mangalkari” and “Sarvjan Hitay Sarvjan Sukhaye”, he said it reflects the government’s intention to include everyone. “Earlier governments ran schemes; this government runs systems. Earlier, there was file movement; now there is fund movement under the leadership of PM Modi. This budget is a beacon of hope and progress for Viksit Bharat,” he said.

Thakur said the budget is not merely a physical document but a roadmap for inclusive growth, fiscal prudence and national rejuvenation. “In this budget, everyone is included and cared for. This government’s thought is clear -- not to leave anyone behind and not to make anyone sad. There is something for everyone,” he said. Comparing the UPA and NDA eras, Thakur said earlier budgets were prepared in “drawing rooms”, while the current government prepares budgets based on ground realities.

“Their budget was a political document, but our budget includes everyone and is like a national mission. When we make the budget, we include everyone’s expectations,” he said. He said the Modi government’s key focus areas remain the poor, women, youth and farmers. “This is not a budget of mere talk and promises. It is a budget of trust. This budget is like a booster dose for Viksit Bharat,” he added. Thakur said the government has finalised three duties that form the base of the budget: increasing production, fulfilling expectations of the people, and strengthening public trust.

“To achieve this, it is necessary to maintain structural reforms. We have to make them adaptive and forward-looking,” he said. He further outlined priorities such as making the financial sector more robust and integrating Artificial Intelligence with the economy and financial governance. Thakur said the budget carries an “A to G reform express” towards a Viksit Bharat. Recalling 2014, he said questions were raised about whether reforms would truly come and whether the government would be anti-corruption. “The answer was yes. The Modi government did all the work. The Modi government has delivered a corruption-free government,” he said. He also claimed that 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty. “Modi hai to mumkin hai,” he added.

--IANS