New Delhi, Feb. 2 -- In 2025-26, the Union government threw the kitchen sink at reviving growth and mass sentiment via a big boost to disposable incomes through an income tax reduction in the last Budget followed by a mid-year Goods and Services Tax (GST) cut. These decisions came in the background of a political reverse for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 elections.

The BJP has more than recovered from these political reverses by now. This year's Budget seeks to exploit this political comeback and convert it into long-term economic prowess in the face of a rapidly deteriorating external environment. This is pretty much the overarching focus of the 2026-27 Union Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"Our ...