NEW DELHI, Feb 1: Draped in a purple Kanjivaram saree with golden checks and a coffee brown border featuring intricate thread work, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman honoured the weaving traditions of her poll-bound home State of Tamil Nadu as she presented a record ninth consecutive Union budget in the Lok Sabha on Sunday.
Sitharaman’s 85-minute speech, described as “historic and futuristic” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, began with the invocation of Guru Ravidas and the “sacred occasion of Magh Purnima”, but maintained a business-like approach throughout.
The budget speech was devoid of any poetic flourishes or references to cultural icons such as Thiruvalluvar or Basavanna and focused entirely on investments, growth and the odd but not so explicit mention of election-bound States.
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At the end of the speech, Congress members from Kerala, which goes to the polls in April, were on their feet claiming that their State was ignored by the Finance Minister.
“Our Government, led by hon’ble Prime Minister Modi, has decisively and consistently chosen action over ambivalence, reform over rhetoric and people over populism,” Sitharaman said.
BJP members were seen thumping their desks after every few minutes as Sitharaman delivered her speech, but opposition members appeared unimpressed, with some remarking that they were unsure what the brouhaha was about.
This was the first budget to be prepared at Kartavya Bhavan, the new office of the Finance ministry, which was earlier housed in the North Block. (PTI)
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