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Senior Congress leader, Rajya MP and former finance minister P Chidambaram has questioned the data released by Treasury Benches on growth rate of the Indian Economy.

Chidambaram was taking part on Budget debate in Rajya Sabha on Monday the 9th of February 2026.

The Congress MP stated that the nominal growth rate in 2023-24 was 12% while in 2024-25 it came down to 9.8%. He added that in 2025-26, it has dipped to 8%.

He said that the fiscal deficit for 2025-26 is 4.4% while it is projected to hover around 4.3%, for the next financial year.

Congress leader P. Chidambaram also questioned reduction in allocations in the annual budget for science, social welfare and urban sectors.

Participating in the discussion from the Treasury Benches, Arun Singh of the BJP stated that overall size of the budget has been raised three times of what it was a decade ago.

Arun Singh added the figure now stand close to 53 lakh crore rupees, while in the UPA Rule it was only over 16 lakh crore rupees.

The BJP MP highlighted that there has a huge jump in the allocation for housing sector for the poor.  He added that the production of grains and horticulture has increased and is reflected in the increase of 22% in the budgetary allocation to Viksit Bharat G RAM G over the MNREGA allotment last year.

Sushmita Dev of TMC alleged that there are visible loopholes in the data presented by the finance minister regarding poverty alleviation. The TMC MP also questioned inordinate delay in the conduct of Census of India.

P Wilson of DMK alleged that the Budget allocations for the farmers, workers and entrepreneurs less than the expectations.

The DMK MP said that it is a matter of concern that India’s debt has risen to 215 trillion rupees, which is approximately 56% of the GDP.

Raghav Chadha of AAP pointed out rules and regulations and compliance procedures are tough for keeping virtual digital assets like cryptocurrency. The AAP MP demanded that government should consider revisions in this so that investors who are moving their business overseas could be brought back.

Muzibulla Khan of BJD said that the budget is disappointing particularly for interests of Odisha. He said, be it the agriculture sector or railways, his state that is Odisha has been ignored.

AIADMK’s M Thambidurai says the budget has given strong emphasis to health and medical education. He said that textile hubs in Tamil Nadu will benefit from the budget.

Nominated Member Sudha Murty said, a big change has come in India in the last 10-12 years, and it can be felt worldwide. She said, stable government, stable finance, bold budgets and leadership have brought this change.

A A Rahim of CPI (M) expressed concern over the escalating tendency of living expenditure in the country. Quoting Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy data, he said, it is alarming that the unemployment rate was at 6.85 in January 2026.

Sanjay Kumar Jha of JD (U) said that the Union Budget reflects that the Government is focusing on long-term growth of the country. He said that, with fiscal discipline and economic strategy, focus is also now on capacity building.

Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal of AAP, Jaya Bachchan of Samajwadi Party, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo of National Conference, G K Vasan of TMC (M), and A D Singh of RJD were among those who participated in the discussion on Budget 2026-27.

The discussion on the Budget remained inconclusive for the day.

Later, the House took up Special Mentions in which Members from different political parties raised matters of urgent importance.

After completing the business, the Upper House was adjourned till 11 AM tomorrow that is Tuesday the 10th of February 2026.