There were both political and economic reasons for Nirmala Sitharaman not offering any freebies in her interim budget that comes just ahead of a national election
Interim budgets are supposed to be boring. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman rose to the occasion and bored us stiff on budget day. Well done, Sitharaman.
In a TV programme in January, she had warned viewers not to expect much from what, after all, is supposed to be simply presenting government accounts and seeking approval for spending for a few months in the next fiscal year until a full budget is presented after the May general election. Sorry to be a spoilsport, she said, but do not expect any fireworks. And, keeping to her word, she presented an interim budget without so much as a ‘phuljhadi’, let alone an ‘anar-bomb’.
In a TV programme in January, she had warned viewers not to expect much from what, after all, is supposed to be simply presenting government accounts and seeking approval for spending for a few months in the next fiscal year until a full budget is presented after the May general election. Sorry to be a spoilsport, she said, but do not expect any fireworks. And, keeping to her word, she presented an interim budget without so much as a ‘phuljhadi’, let alone an ‘anar-bomb’.