New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament earlier in the day "failed the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship."

Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram, a former Finance Minister, said he is not sure if the Finance Minister and the government read the Economic Survey 2025-26 and even if they have, they have decided to discard the challenged and fall back on "their favourite pastime of throwing words at the people".

"Every pre-budget commentator and writer, and every student of economics, must be astonished by what he or she heard in the Finance Minister's speech to Parliament today, Chidambaram said.

"I...