New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) BJP Bihar State President Sanjay Saraogi on Monday strongly defended the Union Budget 2026–27, calling it “historic” and accusing the opposition of deliberately ignoring the development push under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, particularly for Bihar.
“In reality, the opposition has nothing to say. After independence, those who remained in power gave very little to Bihar. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been presenting the budget continuously since 2014, the entire country is moving on the path of self-reliance, and Bihar is progressing steadily,” Saraogi told IANS while reacting to the budget presented in Parliament.
He said the opposition was unable to acknowledge the infrastructure and development initiatives announced for the state.
“The opposition fails to see this. Today, new waterways will be developed, including on the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghara rivers, as well as the Sonpur belt. Across the country, two ship repair ecosystems have been announced, and one of them has been given to Bihar. The opposition refuses to see this,” he said.
Saraogi also highlighted the government’s focus on women’s empowerment.
“Prime Minister Modi has arranged many progressive ways specially for women’s empowerment through strengthening the ‘Jeevika Didi’ initiative. For a ‘Viksit Bharat’, a ‘Viksit Bihar’ is necessary, and today the Prime Minister is doing everything possible to empower the state and take it towards progress,” he added.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026–27 in Parliament on Sunday. The budget includes several infrastructure, logistics, urban development and MSME-focused measures that are expected to benefit Bihar in the long term.
Key announcements include major investments in inland waterways, freight corridors and logistics reforms. Bihar is expected to gain significantly from the development of the Ganga river corridor, which will enable low-cost transportation of agricultural produce, cement, coal and construction materials. Goods from Bihar will be transported to Kolkata Port through the Ganga, improving export potential and industrial viability.
To further strengthen river transport infrastructure, the budget announced the setting up of a ship repair and maintenance ecosystem in Patna. This facility is expected to support both cargo and passenger movement on the Ganga and generate industrial activity in districts such as Patna, Bhojpur, Begusarai, Munger and Bhagalpur.
Earlier on Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also welcomed the budget despite opposition criticism. In a post on X, he wrote, “The union budget is positive and commendable. The budget by the central government has been presented keeping in mind the goals of building a developed India. This budget is progressive and forward-looking.”
He further said, “Through this budget, the union government has taken several important steps to accelerate the pace of the country’s development.”
Highlighting infrastructure projects, Nitish Kumar noted, “This time, the union budget has announced the creation of seven high-speed rail corridors in the country. Among these, the Varanasi-Siliguri high-speed rail corridor will bring significant benefits to Bihar as well.”
Referring to waterways, he added, “The budget has announced 20 new national waterways across the country. Under this, ship repair facilities will be provided in Patna and Varanasi. The expansion of waterways will benefit many cities in Bihar, enhance export facilities for the state’s products, and boost commercial and business activities.”
–IANS
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