Union Budget 2026: Shashi Tharoor expresses disappointment

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday expressed disappointment over the Union Budget, alleging that it failed to address the concerns of states and the middle class, while also ignoring Kerala’s key sectors.

While speaking to PTI, Tharoor said there was “nothing in the budget for states or the middle class’’.

“The budget has very little to offer to the states. Kerala was not mentioned even when the discussion came to coconut farming and inland waterways—two areas where the state has significant stakes,” the MP said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Union Budget speech on Sunday, announced a Coconut Promotion Scheme aimed at boosting productivity in the country’s major coconut-growing states. The scheme will focus on rejuvenating plantations by replacing ageing and non-productive coconut trees with new, high-yielding saplings.

She also unveiled a dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa, with the objective of making India self-reliant in the production and processing of raw cashew and coconut, while simultaneously enhancing the country’s export competitiveness.

In another key announcement, the Finance Minister said the Centre will partner with state governments to promote targeted cultivation and post-harvest processing to revive the Indian sandalwood ecosystem.

Highlighting environmental conservation, Sitharaman announced the establishment of turtle trails along key nesting sites in the coastal regions of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, aimed at protecting marine biodiversity and promoting eco-tourism.