Mumbai, March 6, 2026: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday slammed the state Budget 2026-27 as an “Alice in Wonderland Budget”, accusing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of presenting a document that appeared tailored more for contractors than for ordinary citizens.
Thackeray made the sharp remarks shortly after Fadnavis, who is also holding the finance portfolio, presented the budget in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister dedicated the budget to the late Ajit Pawar, who previously handled finance before his untimely death in a plane crash near Baramati.
“The Budget of the State of Maharashtra today seemed more like a budget for contractors than for Maharashtra. Essentially every minute of the long speech was spent on policies and announcements for contractors,” Thackeray stated, criticising the heavy emphasis on infrastructure spending. He added: “The bigger issue is, even with this kind of expenditure and proposed spending on contractors, the quality of the work is horrible — look at the recent road constructions… and oh! The Mira Bhayandar flyover by the MMRDA!”
Describing the overall tone of the budget, Thackeray said it reflected a government “blissfully unaware of the ground reality”. “More so, it is an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ budget where the CM is blissfully unaware of the ground reality and what is being shown to him by people around him,” he remarked.
He pointed out that much of Fadnavis’ speech recycled earlier policy decisions, while fresh announcements and promises were deferred to 2047 — a timeline Thackeray called impractical for immediate public benefit. “For everything, you must wait till 2047!” he noted.
Thackeray specifically questioned the newly launched Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Shetkari Karjmafi Yojana (farm loan waiver scheme), under which eligible farmers with crop loans pending as of September 30, 2025, can get waivers up to ₹2 lakh, along with a ₹50,000 incentive for timely repayment. He alleged the scheme lacked clarity on eligibility criteria, the application process, and implementation timeline.
He also took a dig at the government’s plan to plant 300 crore trees, terming it “one of the few good jokes” in the speech, especially given ongoing concerns over large-scale tree felling for development projects.
### Budget Highlights Presented by CM Fadnavis
The ₹7,69,467 crore budget (with fiscal deficit kept under 3%) focused on infrastructure, agriculture, and long-term growth. Key announcements included:
- Multiple Mumbai projects: Wadala-to-Gateway metro corridor, underground metro linking the two airports, Sewri-Worli signal-free connector (by September 2026), Bandra-Versova coastal road (by May 2028), and underground roads/tunnels.
- Vadhavan 4th port, Panvel-Karjat suburban rail, and 6,000 km of new highways.
- ₹20,000 crore for solar power to farmers and natural farming on 5 lakh hectares.
- Vision for Maharashtra to help India become a $5 trillion economy by 2047.
Thackeray’s criticism comes as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi continues to question the quality of infrastructure delivery and farmer welfare measures under the ruling Mahayuti government. No immediate response from CM Fadnavis or the government to Thackeray’s remarks was available as of Friday evening.
The budget session is underway, and further debates on these issues are expected in the coming days.
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