Imphal: The Union Budget for 2026–27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has drawn criticism from the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), which accused the Centre of ignoring the prolonged humanitarian crisis in the State.
MPCC president Keisham Meghachandra said the Budget, presented on February 1, was silent on Manipur despite three years of ethnic violence that have displaced thousands of people. In a post on X, he wrote, “Budget 2026 is out — but for Manipur, the silence from Delhi is deafening.”
The criticism comes amid the Centre’s failure to make specific budgetary provisions for internally displaced persons affected by the violence. “For three long years, Manipur has burned, thousands have been displaced, and families are still struggling to return home. Yet the Union Budget treats our crisis as if it does not exist,” the post said.
Arguing that development initiatives were meaningless without restoring peace and normalcy, Meghachandra said, “Development without peace is an illusion — and ignoring Manipur is not governance, it is abandonment.”
Calling for concrete action rather than rhetoric, he added, “Manipur is not asking for sympathy; we are demanding justice, priority and action. Give us a roadmap to peace — not just numbers on paper.”
He also pointed out that more than 60,000 people continue to live in relief camps, even as the Union government reiterates its vision of Viksit Bharat — a developed India by 2047.