NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said the government has failed to address the problems of rising unemployment, increasing food prices and declining rupee.
Participating in discussions on Appropriation Bill (2), 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, Congress member Niraj Dangi also accused the Centre of giving step-motherly treatment to non-BJP-ruled states.
The Bill was introduced by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on behalf of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last week.
Dangi said there is a "huge lack of transparency" in it, claiming there is no clarity regarding the proposed expenditure and accused the government of trying to escape its responsibility while meting out "step-motherly treatment to non-BJP ruled states" in the Union Budget.
He said the country is facing various challenges, such as employment generation, inflation, and highlighted the rupee depreciation, saying it has raised input costs for small businesses and led to a price rise.
Referring to the falling rupee, the Congress member said the situation has gone out of the BJP-led government's control and asserted that if it cannot control the situation, it has no right to be in power.
Dangi observed that the prices of gold and silver have gone beyond the reach of the common man, calling upon the Centre to take "concrete measures" like the removal of import duty and reduction in Goods and Services Tax.
Referring to the ongoing West Asia conflict, he alleged that the government has driven the country into an LPG crisis, and said many hotels and restaurants are on the verge of closure, while household budgets have risen and small businesses are facing losses, even as black marketing of cylinders was taking place.
The Congress MP further said farmers were facing fertiliser shortages, which had forced the Centre to increase fertiliser subsidies, highlighting how India was heavily dependent on fertiliser imports.
Dangi said the total expenditure in terms of Demands for Grants of various ministries for 2026-27 is pegged at Rs 53 lakh crore, but it remains to be seen whether it will be spent for overall development or only towards the benefit of a select group of individuals.
Madan Rathore of the BJP said the country is making rapid technological strides, and India is ahead of everyone else in renewable energy, even as the Narendra Modi-led government has crushed Maoist terrorism.
Pointing to scams during earlier Congress-led governments, he said that today the opposition parties have a problem because middlemen are unable to benefit as corruption has ended in the current government.