New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- Congress on Saturday slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, stating that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is walking on a worn-out path and she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not followed the advice of Chief Economic Advisor on the need to deregulate and that the government's "stranglehold" on the activities of the people is getting tighter.

Addressing a press conference, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the economy will trudge along on the old path and deliver no more than the usual 6 or 6.5 per cent growth in 2025-26.

"This is a far cry from the 8 per cent growth rate that the CEA estimated in order to become a developed country. In our view, this is a government with no new ideas and no will to rea...