Mamata Banerjee slams govt over Union Budget 2026: ‘Blatant lies…didn't give single paisa’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday hit out at the Centre over the Union Budget 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament today.

She accused the Centre of failing to release funds to the state. Reacting to the budget announcement of three corridors, Banerjee called the Centre's claim “garbage of lies.”

In her Budget 2026 speech, Sitharaman proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, including one between Varanasi and Siliguri. She also announced a new dedicated freight corridor connecting West Bengal's Dangkuni in the east to Gujarat's Surat in the west.

Banerjee reacted to this, saying, “They announced three corridors, we have already announced six economic corridors…which will be covered across the state. What they said about the three corridors is absolutely garbage (full) of lies. Blatant lies. It is already in process, and we have started working there.”

"In the Jangalmahal Jangal Sundari project in Purulia, for this economic corridor, ₹72,000 crores are going to be invested...They have not given a single paisa to Bengal. Only one tax is there, GST," CM Banerjee said.

The West Bengal CM alleged, “They [government] have not given a single paisa to Bengal.”

She said, "Only one tax is there, GST [Goods and Services Tax]. They are taking away our money and saying big things that they are giving us money. It is our money...So, they don't have any moral authority to run the government and finish the country like this."

Banerjee said the government "wants to destroy the economic structure of the country, the Constitutional structure of this country, the independent agencies."

"They talk too much but do less work...," she said. "What they do? Only they use some jugglery of words... You have to give the advantage to the people who are common, people can enjoy the facilities," Banerjee told news agency PTI.

Union Budget 2026

West Bengal is set to hold legislative assembly elections later this year. Sitharaman announced during her budget speech, "To promote environmentally sustainable movement of cargo, I propose to establish new Dedicated Freight Corridors connecting Dankuni in the East, to Surat in the West."

"In order to promote environmentally sustainable passenger systems, we will develop seven high-speed rail corridors between cities as growth connectors, namely Mumbai to Pune, Pune to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Bengaluru, Hyderabad to Chennai, and Chennai to Bengaluru. Delhi to Varanasi, Varanasi to Siliguri," the FM said.

Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for the record 9th consecutive time.