Punjab’s political class, barring the state unit of the BJP, and farmer unions have slammed the Union Budget, announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, accusing it of ignoring Punjab and its farmers.The ruling Aam Aadmi Party government and Opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar), said the Budget proposals completely overlooked Punjab at a time when the border state was battling drug smuggling from neighbouring Pakistan and facing a severe economic crisis marked by rising public debt, poor industrial investment, decaying infrastructure and unemployment.CM Bhagwant Mann said Punjabis had hoped for a special package for the border state and its farmers, who have filled the nation’s granaries for decades. “A step-motherly treatment has been meted out to Punjab. Farmers have been ignored, there is no direction for providing employment to youth and no tax relief for the common man,” he said.State Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said none of Punjab’s demands had been addressed. These included a special economic package of Rs 12,905 crore for 2,300 flood-affected villages, 1 per cent increase in the borrowing limit, Rs 1,000-crore grant for police modernisation, release of pending Rural Development Fund dues, restoration of National Health Mission allocations, continuation of GST compensation, interest subvention on cooperative crop loans and higher incentives for crop diversification to save groundwater.Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa said Punjab had been completely forgotten. “Big words change, ground reality unchanged. Reforms that never arrive — that’s how this Budget can be summed up,” he said.Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the Budget reflected a centralising mindset and offered no legal or financial roadmap for procurement of crops at MSP, despite Punjab’s role in national food security. He also flagged the absence of a bailout package for the debt-ridden state and said federalism was being weakened. Former Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said the Budget failed to recognise Punjab’s evolving economic needs and offered no roadmap for industry or employment.The BJP’s state unit alone welcomed the Budget. State BJP working president Ashwani Sharma described it as visionary, pro-people and growth-oriented.Farmer unions were equally critical. BKU (Ekta-Dakaunda) leader Manjit Singh Dhaner said only 3.02 per cent of the total Budget outlay had been earmarked for agriculture. “There is no guarantee of MSP on all crops and no debt relief for farmers. We will have to intensify our protests,” he said. He questioned the relevance of AI-based initiatives for small and marginal farmers.Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Jangveer Singh Chouhan said hopes of farm debt relief had been dashed and there was no clear roadmap to take agriculture to the next level of growth.