Assam to gain ‘meaningfully’ from reform-oriented Union Budget, says Himanta; Opposition calls it complacent

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 2 said the state and the wider eastern region will benefit “meaningfully” from the reform-oriented Union Budget, even as opposition parties criticised it as complacent and lacking concrete assurances for Assam ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

Welcoming the Budget, Sarma said it strikes a fine balance between India’s global aspirations and grassroots development. He asserted that the emphasis on reforms, fiscal discipline, ease of doing business and support to MSMEs aligns with Assam’s development priorities. The chief minister highlighted the provision of Rs 2 lakh crore under special assistance to states for capital investment, saying it would accelerate infrastructure activities in Assam. He also pointed to the Rs 6,812 crore allocation for the development of the Northeast in the Budget for FY 2026-27 as evidence of the Centre’s sustained focus on the region.

Sarma said the Budget’s thrust on skilling complements Assam’s vision of emerging as a trusted hub for skilled professionals in healthcare, artificial intelligence and allied sectors. He further welcomed proposals such as the development of five tourist destinations in five eastern states, deployment of 4,000 e-buses, strengthening of Buddhist circuits across Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, and the upgradation of the National Mental Health Institute in Tezpur as a regional apex centre.

Opposition parties, however, struck a sharply different note. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi described the Budget as complacent, arguing that it lacked vision, urgency and a clear roadmap at a time of shifting global economic conditions. He alleged that despite Assam heading for Assembly polls in the coming months, the Budget offered nothing concrete for the state and appeared to favour select corporate interests over structural transformation.

Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi accused the Centre of continued indifference and neglect towards Assam and the Northeast, saying there was no clarity on how the state would actually benefit from the announced measures. He also raised concerns over rising debt, recurrent floods, distress among farmers, neglect of tea garden workers and the decline of small-scale industries, claiming the Budget failed to address these challenges.

Similar criticism came from CPI(M) Assam state secretary Suprakash Talukdar, who termed the Budget an assault on the federal structure, and from Raijor Dal general secretary Rasel Hussain, who alleged that the BJP once again ignored Assam and the Northeast. AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said the Budget was disappointing for the region, particularly for sectors such as MGNREGA, education and health, where expectations were high in an election year.

In contrast, industry bodies in the Northeast welcomed the Budget as balanced and fiscally disciplined. Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region president Bajrang Lohia said the non-populist approach, coupled with emphasis on MSMEs, tourism and infrastructure development in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, would help position the region as a multi-dimensional growth engine. The Regional Council of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the FICCI Northeast Advisory Council also described the Budget as inclusive and forward-looking, expressing confidence that it would spur growth and employment generation across the Northeast.