India, April 1 -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday hit out at Congress MP and former Union minister P Chidambaram over his claims of a "cut" in capital expenditure, calling them "misleading" and based on "flawed comparisons." She asserted that rather than being reduced, capital expenditure has increased to Rs.11.21 lakh crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Sitharaman was responding to Chidambaram's social media post, where he stated that the government had cut Rs.92,682 crore (Capex BE over RE) and Rs.90,887 crore (SASCI BE over RE) for FY25. He further questioned the reasons for the reduction and remarked, "I asked the reasons for the cut. The Hon'ble FM denied there was any cut! I am speechless."

Earlier in the Rajya...