Amidst the uproar over former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane during the budget session of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey has given advice to the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Referring to the letter of India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, he targeted Rahul Gandhi.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared a post on social media platform X on Monday (February 2, 2026). Dubey said in the post, ‘Rahul Gandhi should immediately read the views of his grandfather Nehru ji about the then Army Chief General Cariappa ji. General Thimayya’s letter, Field Marshal Manekshaw’s letter and Mathai ji’s book are very dangerous. Have some regard for national security.

What did Nishikant Dubey say in the post?

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also shared a picture in his X post. It was written in bold letters in the picture, ‘General Cariappa has completely derailed, mentally and in every way. The strained relationship between Nehru and the first army chief revealed in the letters.

Rahul Gandhi ji@RahulGandhi Read the thoughts of your grandfather Nehru ji about the then Army Chief General Cariappa ji. General Thimayya’s letter, Field Marshal Manekshaw’s letter and Mathai ji’s book are very dangerous. Please pay some attention to national security pic.twitter.com/Pe35VO9LrY

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) February 2, 2026

It read, ‘In the Prime Minister’s view, General Cariappa’s frequent interference in non-military matters often became a cause of conflict. Due to this, many sharp letters were written between the two, which clearly shows the deep gulf between India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and the first Army Chief General M. Cariappa.

BJP MP raised many questions on Rahul Gandhi?

“Who gave Tibet to China?”

“Who gave Aksai Chin to China saying not a blade of grass grows there?”

“Who made China our neighbour?”

Weren’t Nepal,Bhutan & Tibet buffer states between India & China?

can #RahulGandhi answer @nishikant_dubey ji’s Qs?pic.twitter.com/pdfCpWoEyh

— PallaviCT (@pallavict) February 2, 2026

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, while talking to journalists in the Parliament complex, asked many questions at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. He said, ‘Rahul Gandhi should first answer who gave Tibet to China? Who gave Aksai Chin to China, that too saying that not even a single strand of grass grows there? China, which was never our neighbour, had a border with India, then who made it our country’s neighbour? Weren’t Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet the three buffer states between India and China?

Also read: Non-bailable warrant against former Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s sister, how far will Shahbaz-Munir stoop for power?

Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has expressed a strong reaction to the Union Budget presented by the Modi government in Parliament today. Describing this budget as dashing the hopes of Rajasthan, Gehlot has accused the central government of ‘step-motherly treatment’ towards the state.

Ashok Gehlot said that it is very unfortunate that the country’s largest state Rajasthan was not even mentioned in the budget speech. Calling it an insult to the people of Rajasthan, he said that the state had great expectations from this budget, but Rajasthan was completely missing from the Finance Minister’s speech.

Silence on ERCP and development projects

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot especially raised the issue of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP). He said, “The Center has not announced any clear roadmap or special financial assistance for such a big project to quench the thirst of the state. The absence of any new railway project or metro project for Rajasthan in the budget shows that the development of Rajasthan is not the priority of the Centre.

Disappointment faced by the poor and unorganized sector

Describing the budget as against the common man, Gehlot said that there is no major provision of relief for the poor, workers and a large population of the unorganized sector. Amidst rising inflation and unemployment, this class was expecting some big scheme from this budget, but their hands remained empty.

‘High shop, dull dish’

Taking a dig at the claims of the double engine government, Gehlot termed this budget as ‘damp squib’ (high shop, dull dish) in the context of Rajasthan. He said that despite BJP government in the state, Rajasthan not getting anything in the budget proves that the talk of ‘double engine’ is just an election slogan and in reality no benefit of it is visible on the ground.

This reaction of Ashok Gehlot makes it clear that in the coming days, the opposition will intensify its siege of the government for ignoring Rajasthan and development projects.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 9th full-time budget in Parliament on 1 February 2026. The biggest question after this budget is what Uttar Pradesh got in it. Many announcements related to infrastructure, health, women empowerment and new technology have been made for UP in Budget 2026.

Special emphasis on Varanasi and connectivity

Budget 2026 indicates to develop Varanasi as a major infrastructure hub. Ship repair ecosystem will be developed here, which will promote Ganga based transportation and employment. Along with this, Varanasi Ring Road Hybrid Rail Corridor and Varanasi-Delhi High Speed ​​Rail Corridor have been announced, which will give impetus to both connectivity and trade.

There is also a proposal to build an integrated logistics hub in Varanasi, which will help in connecting Purvanchal with the national and international markets. These schemes are considered important towards establishing Uttar Pradesh as a major center of logistics and transport.

Focus on health, women and rural development

To strengthen health services in the budget, it has been announced to open emergency trauma centers in all the districts of Uttar Pradesh. Along with this, a provision has been made to make medicines for serious diseases like cancer and diabetes cheaper. After Lakhpati Didi Yojana for women, now there is a proposal to create ‘Shri Mart’ for rural women, which will provide market to their products.

It has also been announced to build a hostel for working women in every district. Apart from this, under the Divyang Sahara Yojana, provision has been made for timely assistance, increasing the production capacity of artificial limb manufacturing companies and investment in AI integration. Along with strengthening the PM Divyasha centres, emphasis has also been laid on mental health and trauma care.

Technology, Khadi and skill development schemes

In Budget 2026, Uttar Pradesh has also been given an important role in the field of technological development. The country’s first semiconductor design and manufacturing park has been given the green signal and it has been announced to take forward Semiconductor Mission 1.0, which will create a trained center and skilled workforce. Budgetary assistance has also been announced to develop AI City. It has been proposed to launch Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Initiative to strengthen Khadi, handloom and handicrafts, which will improve global market linkage, branding, training and production quality.

ODOP scheme, weavers and rural youth are expected to get direct benefits from this. Along with this, Samarth 2.0 mission has also been promoted to make India a global hub of high quality affordable sports goods and to modernize the textile skill ecosystem.

Before the presentation of the budget in the country today, people have many questions and expectations are also in the queue. In ABP’s special conversation ‘Chaupal on Budget’, the people of UP and Bihar have expressed their views openly. This discussion took place in Lucknow and Patna just before the general budget, in which youth, women and common citizens were involved. At present, all eyes were fixed on the Union Budget to be presented on 1 February 2026.

People walking in the park in the capital Lucknow, in the Chaupal on the budget, people said that the government is taking taxes on a large scale and taxes should be cut in this budget. At the same time, the prices of gold and silver have increased a lot and something should be thought about reducing them. Women said that gold is the accumulated capital of women and its rates are rising so much that no one can collect it.

Expectations of youth and common people

The youth participating in the Chaupal clearly said that the government should give top priority to employment generation in the budget. He said that inflation is continuously increasing, but income is not increasing in proportion to it, due to which living is becoming difficult. Many people demanded strict control on inflation. Concern was also expressed about the rising prices of gold and silver and it was said that the situation has become such that “the condition of gold is such that darshan has become rare.” A youth sarcastically said that the government makes goods cheap, but its parts become expensive, like if a book is cheap then paper becomes expensive, if clothes become cheap then thread becomes expensive.

Demand for focus on women, education and Bihar

The women present in the Chaupal appealed to the government to prepare a budget keeping in mind the kitchen expenses. He said that gas, food items and items of daily needs are becoming increasingly expensive, due to which the household budget is deteriorating. People expressed the need for more investment in education and health sectors, so that the general public can get cheaper and better facilities. Along with this, the public talked about special focus on Bihar and expressed hope of taking concrete steps from the Center for the development of the state. The demand for strengthening infrastructure, road and rail connectivity also came forward prominently.

Let us tell you that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present the full budget for the ninth consecutive time today i.e. on 1 February 2026. This is the second time in history, when the budget is being presented on a Sunday. Every section including salaried class, middle class, women and businessmen are expected to get great relief from this budget.

Before the presentation of the budget in the country today, people have many questions and expectations are also in the queue. In ABP’s special conversation ‘Chaupal on Budget’, the people of UP and Bihar have expressed their views openly. This discussion took place in Lucknow and Patna just before the general budget, in which youth, women and common citizens were involved. At present, all eyes were fixed on the Union Budget to be presented on 1 February 2026.

People walking in the park in the capital Lucknow, in the Chaupal on the budget, people said that the government is taking taxes on a large scale and taxes should be cut in this budget. At the same time, the prices of gold and silver have increased a lot and something should be thought about reducing them. Women said that gold is the accumulated capital of women and its rates are rising so much that no one can collect it.

Expectations of youth and common people

The youth participating in the Chaupal clearly said that the government should give top priority to employment generation in the budget. He said that inflation is continuously increasing, but income is not increasing in proportion to it, due to which living is becoming difficult. Many people demanded strict control on inflation. Concern was also expressed about the rising prices of gold and silver and it was said that the situation has become such that “the condition of gold is such that darshan has become rare.” A youth sarcastically said that the government makes goods cheap, but its parts become expensive, like if a book is cheap then paper becomes expensive, if clothes become cheap then thread becomes expensive.

Demand for focus on women, education and Bihar

The women present in the Chaupal appealed to the government to prepare a budget keeping in mind the kitchen expenses. He said that gas, food items and items of daily needs are becoming increasingly expensive, due to which the household budget is deteriorating. People expressed the need for more investment in education and health sectors, so that the general public can get cheaper and better facilities. Along with this, the public talked about special focus on Bihar and expressed hope of taking concrete steps from the Center for the development of the state. The demand for strengthening infrastructure, road and rail connectivity also came forward prominently.

Let us tell you that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present the full budget for the ninth consecutive time today i.e. on 1 February 2026. This is the second time in history, when the budget is being presented on a Sunday. Every section including salaried class, middle class, women and businessmen are expected to get great relief from this budget.

The country’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the general budget in the Parliament today on Sunday (February 1, 2026). This will be the first time that the budget in India will be presented on a Sunday. Many sectors have big expectations from Budget 2026, while there is also a strong discussion across the country regarding the market movements. Meanwhile, a big question is also arising whether the stock markets will open because it is Sunday or not.

Amidst these questions, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has taken a sharp dig at the government. He wrote on social media platform

The question is not whether the stock market will open on Sunday, the question is how much more it will fall. pic.twitter.com/jE5WztWTWK

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 31, 2026

Will the stock market open?

Let us tell you that there was confusion about whether the stock market would open on the budget day or not, but now the picture has become clear. National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange will remain open on 1 February 2026. Usually the stock markets are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, but considering the importance of the budget, a special live trading session will be organized.

Trading time and historical context

Let us tell you that on February 1, 2026, there will be regular trading in the stock market from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm. Generally these are the working hours from Monday to Friday. This is not the first time that the stock market is being opened on Sunday, after India’s independence, the stock market was opened only once before on Sunday in the history. Trading took place in the domestic stock market on Sunday, 28 February 1999. In such a situation, Budget 2026 is being considered special not only from the economic but also from the historical point of view.