Assam – Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has hailed the Union Budget 2026–27 as reform-driven, saying it will bring “meaningful” benefits to Assam and the wider eastern region. Opposition parties, however, dismissed the Budget as complacent and lacking clarity on how the state would actually gain from the measures announced.
Sarma said the Budget balances India’s global aspirations with grassroots development, highlighting its focus on fiscal discipline, ease of doing business and support for micro, small and medium enterprises. He pointed to the Centre’s ₹2 lakh crore special assistance for capital investment in states, which he said would accelerate infrastructure projects in Assam. He also welcomed the ₹6,812 crore allocation for the Northeast, describing it as proof of the Centre’s sustained commitment to the region.
The Chief Minister added that the Budget’s emphasis on skilling complements Assam’s vision of becoming a hub for professionals in healthcare, artificial intelligence and allied sectors. He further welcomed proposals to develop tourist destinations in eastern states, strengthen Buddhist circuits across the Northeast, deploy 4,000 e-buses, and upgrade the National Mental Health Institute in Tezpur into a regional apex centre.
Opposition leaders struck a sharply different tone. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said the Budget was complacent and lacked urgency, accusing the Centre of favouring corporate interests over structural reforms. Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi alleged continued neglect of Assam, citing unresolved issues such as rising debt, recurrent floods, farmer distress, and the decline of tea garden and small-scale industries. CPI(M) state secretary Suprakash Talukdar termed the Budget an assault on federalism, while Raijor Dal general secretary Rasel Hussain and AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said it ignored Assam’s needs in employment schemes, education and health.
Industry bodies in the Northeast, however, welcomed the Budget. Bajrang Lohia, president of the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region, praised its non-populist approach and emphasis on MSMEs, tourism and infrastructure development in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Council 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 region.
