Anurag Thakur defends Budget in Lok Sabha, rejects Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dead economy’ remark

New Delhi: Launching a sharp counterattack in the Lok Sabha, former Union minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday strongly defended the budget, terming it “sarv mangalkari” (auspicious and beneficial for all), “sarvjan hitay” (for the welfare of all people) and “sarvjan sukhay” (for the happiness and prosperity of all people), and a decisive roadmap for Viksit Bharat.

Speaking immediately after Rahul Gandhi‘s criticism of the government, Thakur rejected the Congress leader’s remark that India is a “dead economy.” “India is not dead; it is a dominating economy,” he said, arguing that global confidence in India is reflected in major trade engagements, including a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union.

Thakur contrasted what he described as the “drawing room budgets” of the UPA era with what he called the NDA’s “ground-connected” and mission-driven budgets. “For Congress, a budget was a political document. For the Modi government, it is a national mission with collective participation,” he said, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting the ninth budget of the current dispensation.
Highlighting fiscal priorities, Thakur noted that capital expenditure has risen from ₹11.2 lakh crore to ₹12.2 lakh crore, calling it proof of the government’s commitment to long-term asset creation over “short-term applause.” He said the budget focuses on 12 key sectors, including banking, Artificial Intelligence, industry, health, education, women, tourism, agriculture, defence, energy, railways and transport.

Citing health infrastructure expansion, Thakur said the number of AIIMS has increased from seven before 2014 to 23, while medical colleges have risen from 387 to 706 and MBBS seats have more than doubled to 1.07 lakh. He described Ayushman Bharat as the world’s largest universal healthcare scheme.