Login Register
Follow Us

FM’s no-frills pre-poll Budget stumps Opposition

Show comments

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, February 1

Both the treasury and Opposition MPs were caught off guard on Thursday when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ended her Interim Budget speech in under an hour, 56 minutes to be precise.

Among her five Budget presentations since 2020, this was the shortest. Opposition MPs were particularly stumped at the no-frills, no-sops Budget in an election year.

“They look confident of a win, as if they don’t need new announcements to impact poll results. That said, we welcome the fact that the Finance Minister, in a rare pre-poll move, has maintained the decorum of a vote on account. Her Interim Budget was as an election year document should be short, crisp and a statement of government intent rather than a high frill Budget full of sops,” NK Premchandran, veteran Left Front MP of the opposition RSP, said, praising the minister.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha wore a dull, dreary look as Sitharaman, dressed in a crisp Bengali Kantha saree, made an elegant delivery, her tone tempered unlike in the past when she would make it a point to rouse some passion and needle the Opposition. But today was not that day.

The only time the House erupted in frenzy on Thursday was when PM Modi arrived for the budget presentation amid chants of “Jai Shree Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” by ruling BJP MPs. After the PM settled, the noise settled too.

It returned on five occasions when Sitharaman credited PM Modi for ensuring a comprehensive GDP (an acronym for growth, development, performance) in the past 10 years of NDA rule.

The loudest cheer from the treasury came when Sitharaman announced details of the PM Suryodaya Scheme that aims to guarantee free power for one crore houses by way of solar rooftop panels. It was later learnt that the FM’s choice of a turquoise blue saree was conscious. The colour she wore is called “Rama Neelam” (the blue of Lord Rama’s skin) in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman’s native state.

As she spoke, FM’s daughter Vangmai Parkala and two family members watched from the gallery. The Opposition benches wore a thin attendance with former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and DMK leader TR Baalu seated in the main front row and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, currently on Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, conspicuous by his absence.

About The Author

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

#Nirmala Sitharaman

Show comments
Show comments

Trending News

Also In This Section


Top News


View All

40-year-old Delhi man takes 200 flights in 110 days to steal jewellery from co-passengers, would assume dead brother’s identity

2 separate cases of theft were reported on separate flights in the past three months, after which a dedicated team from IGI Airport was formed to nab the culprits

Mother's Day Special: How region’s top cops, IAS officer strike a balance between work and motherhood

Punjab DGP Gurpreet, Himachal DGP Satwant, Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep, Ferozepur SSP Saumya, IAS officer Amrit Singh open up on the struggles they face

Enduring magic of Surjit Patar: A tribute to Punjab’s beloved poet

A tribute to Punjab’s beloved poet, who passed away aged 79 in Ludhiana

Indian Air force rescues 2 NRI women tourists from forest of Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur

Local administration warns tourists not to venture on the Churdhar track without information


Most Read In 24 Hours