Over the years, many stalwarts and financial experts have presented the budget.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam is all set to present the Union Budget for the next financial year on February 1.
Since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are due, Sitharaman will be presenting only an interim fiscal budget for 2024-25.
The senior BJP leader, who has been holding the plum finance portfolio ever since the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained power in 2019 has till date presented five budgets.
The 64-year-old also holds the unique record for delivering the longest budget speech when she spoke for 2hrs and 42mins, while presenting the Union Budget for the 2020-21 financial year on February 1, 2020.
Now as Sitharaman is set to present her sixth budget, industry experts and laymen are wondering as to whether the current finance minister will set a new record in terms of presenting the most number of budgets. But the answer is an emphatic ‘no’.
So, who is it?
That record goes to Morarji Desai, the first non-Congress Prime Minister independent India had produced. For the record, Desai has presented the Union Budget 10 times. Morarji held the finance portfolio under both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s regimes. He also briefly held the portfolio when he himself had become the Prime Minister.
And for those wondering if Sitharaman comes second, then you have got it completely wrong. The list includes some of the heavyweights and financial experts like like P Chidambaram (9), Pranab Mukherjee (8), Yashwant Sinha (8), Y B Chawan and C D Deshmukh (7 each) and Manmohan Singh (6).
On February 1, Sitharaman will however equal former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s feat of presenting the budget six times.
Her sixth budget will also make her the finance minister to present most number of budgets from BJP. Currently she holds the joint record with the late Arun Jaitley (5).
So, come February 1, a little slice of history beckons Sitharaman.