Opposition corners Centre over unemployment, farmers’ woes during discussion on Budget in Rajya Sabha

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 Sansad TV via PTI

Congress MP P. Chidambaram speaks successful the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament, connected February 9, 2026. Photo Credit: Sansad TV via PTI

The Opposition members highlighted issues specified arsenic unemployment, sluggish economy, and the interaction of the bilateral commercialized with the United States connected the agriculture assemblage during the statement connected the Union Budget successful the Rajya Sabha connected Monday (February 9, 2026). The BJP said the state signed six commercialized pacts recently, which is an denotation that India is becoming a planetary hub.

Senior Congress MP P. Chidambaram initiated the statement and termed the Budget arsenic “forgettable”, which had been prepared by “a Finance Minister who forgot her promises made successful this House past year.” He attacked the Union Government for not addressing unemployment, peculiarly among youth.

“Youth unemployment is 15%. Less than 25% of the workforce is successful regular employment. There is simply a displacement to self-employment, and much workers are successful the agriculture assemblage than they were 4 oregon 5 years ago,” helium said, pointing retired the alteration successful regular employment successful the country. “In a state with 144 crore people, lone 195 lakh, that is little than 2 crore, are employed successful a factory. Manufacturing, which is mostly factories, is stuck astatine 16% for many, galore years,” helium said.

‘What’s incorrect with internship scheme?’

The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme, announced successful the past Budget, could connection 1,65,000 positions, the Congress person said. “Only 33,000 were accepted. Are determination nary young men and women to judge an internship successful large companies? And of the 33,000 that were accepted, 6,000 near the job. What is incorrect with the internship scheme?” helium asked and sought an mentation from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

On the alteration successful superior investment, helium said that for astir 12 years, superior investment, gross fixed superior formation, is stuck astatine 30% of GDP. “Net FDI successful 2024-25 collapsed to little than 0.09%. FPIs, [that is] overseas portfolio investors are pulling out. Private investment, though companies are currency rich, is stuck astatine 22% of GDP. In this concern wherever neither the nationalist assemblage nor the backstage assemblage nor the overseas capitalist is investing successful India, this authorities has chopped superior expenditure. In the twelvemonth 2025-26, they person chopped superior expenditure by a whopping ₹1,44,376 crore,” helium said.

In his speech, elder BJP MP Arun Singh said the full satellite was turning towards India. “From recognition standing agencies to planetary institutions, everyone is applauding India’s schemes, policies and systems, and they are seeing that the state is becoming a planetary hub. As a effect of that, wrong a year, India has inked six pacts,” helium said, mentioning the deals signed with Oman, New Zealand, the U.K., the EU, and the U.S. arsenic examples. “The biggest among these deals is the India-U.S. commercialized deal, which shows India’s power, imaginable and quality that it is emerging arsenic a planetary hub,” Mr. Singh said.

‘Surrender to the U.S.’

DMK MP P. Wilson said the Centre surrendered to the United States, and the full federation was acrophobic astir the “one-sided” commercialized deal. India is simply a arrogant federation and civilisation. This weaponisation of tariff should (would) person pressurised the government into submission,” helium said. Mr. Wilson said the Budget had thing for Tamil Nadu, which was retorted by Ms. Sitharaman.

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan excessively raised the contented of unemployment, peculiarly among women. She demanded reforms successful the taxation operation for the amusement industry. National Conference MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan raised the problems faced by the tourism assemblage successful Jammu and Kashmir. Alleging that the Centre had sacrificed the rights of farmers successful beforehand of the United States, elder Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Union Government failed to utilise astir ₹1.17 lakh crore successful six years from 2018-19 to 2023-24. “If we number till 2024-25, ₹1.7 lakh crore has been surrendered,” helium said.

Published - February 09, 2026 09:57 p.m. IST

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