Updated On: 11 February, 2026 03:05 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said India’s greatest assets are its 1.4 billion people and their data, asserting that the Union Budget fails to adequately protect them. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Budget debate, he highlighted AI, food and energy as key pillars of national strength and accused the government of compromising

Rahul Gandhi speaks during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi. Pic/PTI
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday stated that India’s people are its biggest strengths and underscored the importance of protecting the nation’s vibrant database for standing along with global peers; however, he added that the Union Budget has nothing substantial to protect them.
Gandhi, while speaking on the Union Budget in the Lower House, highlighted three points as the cornerstone of a strong nation -- Artificial Intelligence (AI), food and Energy. He added, in the same breath, that the government has failed to address all these concerns in the Union Budget.
“India’s biggest strength is its 1.4 billion people. Everybody is talking about AI. The petrol for AI is data. If you have AI and you don’t have data, you have nothing,” he said.