'5,100 seconds, not one mention of Bengal': After Mamata, Abhishek Banerjee slams Budget 2026

Also accusing the Centre of harbouring a discriminatory attitude towards the state, the TMC leader claimed that central funds meant for Bengal had been withheld.

• Abhishek Banerjee slammed the Union Budget for ignoring West Bengal.
• He called the Budget "faceless, baseless, and visionless," lacking concrete solutions.
• TMC alleged exclusion of Bengal and withholding of central funds for the state.

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Trinamool Congress National (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Sunday, launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the Union Budget 2026-27, accusing it of treating the people of West Bengal as "Bangladeshis" and alleging that the state was completely ignored in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech.

Reacting to the Budget, Banerjee said it offered no concrete solutions for any section of society and termed it a "faceless, baseless and visionless Budget".

"The Budget speech was 85 minutes long, 5,100 seconds, and in these 5,100 seconds, Bengal was not even mentioned once. Forget Bengal; there was nothing concrete for farmers, youth, or any community," Banerjee told reporters outside the Parliament.

#WATCH | On #UnionBudget2026, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee says, "...The Budget that was presented was 1 hour and 25 minutes of the speech of Union Finance Minister. 85 minutes means 5100 seconds. In these 5100 seconds, Bengal's name was not taken even once...All communties, be it… pic.twitter.com/7Mtr1aRwVz

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2026

He said while the government spoke at length about artificial intelligence, Skill India and technological advancement, it failed to explain how employment would actually be generated. “They talk about AI, Skill India and technological advancement, but how will youth get employment? How will jobs be created? There is no mention. There is nothing on increasing farmers’ income, nothing on financial security for any community,” he said.

Also accusing the Centre of harbouring a discriminatory attitude towards the state, the TMC leader claimed that central funds meant for Bengal had been withheld. "It is the Union government and its ministers who call us Bangladeshis. Otherwise, why was Bengal not mentioned even once? Jal Jeevan Mission funds have been stopped and even old promises have not been fulfilled," Banerjee alleged.

He further claimed that the ruling dispensation had given up on Bengal politically.

"We had no expectations from this government. They know they are going to lose the state. Even if they spend money in Bengal, they wouldn’t win, so from their perspective, they have preferred not to spend anything here," he said.

Banerjee also described Sitharaman’s Budget speech as a "self-appraisal report".

"The government will defend its Budget, but to me it looked like a self-appraisal report written by its own PR department. It has no concrete solution to offer to anybody,” he said.

The TMC echoed similar sentiments in a post on X, alleging "erasure, exclusion and institutionalised hostility" towards Bengal, and pointing out that while new institutions and projects were announced for other states, the eastern state found no mention in the Budget.

Shri @abhishekaitc tore into the Union Budget, calling it FACELESS, BASELESS, and VISIONLESS, a glossy self-appraisal written by the Modi Government’s own PR department, not a serious economic roadmap for the nation. In a 5,100-second monologue, the Finance Minister couldn’t… pic.twitter.com/cZlmIY7DXY — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) February 1, 2026

Abhishek Banerjee’s remarks came shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also criticised the Union Budget, calling it "directionless, visionless and anti-people”, and alleging that it had “nothing on offer for Bengal or the common man".

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, outlined measures aimed at simplifying the tax regime, boosting domestic manufacturing and exports, supporting infrastructure development and maintaining fiscal discipline.