Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday used the Union Budget 2026-27 debate to highlight what he described as a dramatic transformation in the global order, warning that India must prepare for an increasingly unstable world.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing discussion on the Budget, Gandhi said economic planning cannot be separated from the geopolitical turbulence reshaping international relations.
Rahul Gandhi Speaks On Budget
Referring to the Economic Survey, Gandhi noted that he found “solid points, profound points” in the document. “I was looking at the economic survey and two points I found there, solid points, profound points that I liked. First point, that we are living in a world of intensifying geopolitical conflict… The dominance of the United States is being challenged by the Chinese, by the Russians, by other forces. The second thing is that we are living in a world of energy and financial weaponisation. The main thing they are saying here is that we are moving from a world of stability to a world of instability,” he said.
According to Gandhi, the shift from a relatively stable global system to one marked by uncertainty has far-reaching consequences for India’s economy and national security.
‘We Are Moving Into Era Of War’
The Congress leader contrasted the current global climate with earlier statements suggesting that large-scale wars were a thing of the past. “Prime Minister stated, and NSA stated, shockingly, some time back, that the era of war is over. In fact, we are moving into the era of war. You can see war is there in Ukraine, war was there in Gaza, war is there in the Middle East, threat of war is there in Iran. We had operations in Sindoor. So we are moving into a world of instability,” he said.
He argued that ongoing conflicts and rising tensions demonstrate that assumptions of lasting peace are no longer valid.
Dollar Dominance Under Pressure
Gandhi also pointed to shifts in global financial power structures. “The dollar is being challenged. The central game, as my friends on the other side understand, is that dollar is being challenged, US supremacy is being challenged. We are moving from a world of one superpower to some new world that really we can’t predict…” he said.
