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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday raised concerns about the Union Budget 2026, noting that the "sharp drop" in funding for the Chabahar port is a sign of India's shifting strategic priorities amid international pressure.
Speaking to ANI, Tharoor highlighted that the allocation for the strategically vital port in Iran has been reduced to "zero", following a revised estimate of Rs 400 crore in the previous fiscal year. "It looks like we are giving up on the port," Tharoor said. "In view of the current geopolitical situation, with the squeeze on Iran and increasing sanctions from Western countries, it appears we are abandoning the idea of spending any money on that port." While acknowledging the practical difficulties posed by global sanctions, the Thiruvananthapuram MP suggested the move reflects a policy shift. "It may be true that there are practical obstacles--if everything is sanctioned, how do you spend money? But it does look like a surrender to a particular policy that has been imposed from the outside on Iran," he added. Tharoor also addressed the impact of new US trade policies and tariffs on India's energy imports. He noted that the 50% tariff imposed by the Trump administration has made the purchase of sanctioned Russian oil increasingly "unviable" for Indian companies. However, he observed a strategic rebalancing by the US, which has "opened the spigot" on Venezuelan oil to keep global prices stable. "The logic is, from India's point of view, it will not cost us significantly more because world oil prices will remain stable. Since you have two countries sanctioned but a third is being unsanctioned, the amount of oil in the global pool ensures stability," Tharoor explained. The MP also expressed "profound disappointment" regarding the lack of specific mention or support for Kerala in the budget. He noted that while certain schemes for coconuts and cashews were announced, the state, a leading producer of both, was not explicitly named. Tharoor further questioned the absence of infrastructure support for Kerala's inland waterways and the Vizhinjam Port. "We've had an announcement of ship repair in Patna and Varanasi, but Kerala has more inland waterways than any other state," he said, also pointing out that the long-promised AIIMS for the state remains unfulfilled 12 years after its initial announcement. (ANI)
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