Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech in the Lok Sabha on Sunday unfolded amid rare calm on the Opposition benches, while the Treasury side repeatedly thumped desks led by an animated Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Apart from a brief protest by a few Congress MPs from Kerala at the end of the 85-minute address, alleging that the budget had little to offer their poll-bound state, most Opposition members walked out quietly, dismissing the exercise as offering “nothing”.

“It is a colourless and odourless budget. There is nothing,” Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy said as he exited the House.

BJP MPs hailed the budget as “futuristic” and aimed at building a “Viksit Bharat (developed India)” without burdening the common people.

The muted Opposition response was in sharp contrast to the previous two budgets of the Modi government’s third term, which had triggered vociferous protests inside and outside Parliament over alleged “fiscal discrimination” driven by political considerations. The Opposition had accused the BJP-led NDA of disproportionately favouring states ruled by its allies — particularly the TDP and the JDU — with special focus on poll-bound Bihar and Delhi.

Leading the praise on Sunday, Modi described the budget as a “highway of endless opportunities”. “It strengthens the foundation of a bright future for India. It is a strong foundation for Viksit Bharat 2047. India’s ‘Reform Express’ will get a new speed with this,” he said.

Several states — Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — are headed for Assembly polls this year, fuelling expectations of state-specific announcements to bolster the BJP’s outreach in these regions.

However, no big-ticket projects were announced exclusively for these states, though they featured in broader national initiatives such as rare earth development, dedicated freight corridors and proposed rapid rail projects. Except for Assam and Puducherry, most of these states are not ruled by the BJP, and the party’s internal assessments reportedly suggest limited prospects of electoral gains.

Draped in a purple Kanjivaram sari, Sitharaman was widely expected to announce significant allocations for poll-bound Tamil Nadu, but ruling DMK MPs said the state had been overlooked. “It’s a disappointing budget…. Even with elections in mind, they have not announced anything for Tamil Nadu. The Centre doesn’t want to give anything, but they want to mine rare earth from Tamil Nadu,” DMK MP Kanimozhi said.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also slammed the budget, alleging it ignored pressing economic challenges. “Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks — all ignored,” he said on X.