After presenting her eighth budget on Saturday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman received congratulations from her cabinet colleagues, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also walking over to extend his greetings.
A video from the Lok Sabha captured Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia being the first to shake hands with Sitharaman, followed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Manohar Lal Khattar, while others greeted her with folded hands. As she acknowledged the gestures of her party members, Prime Minister Modi was seen rising from his seat and approaching her.
In the footage, Modi was also seen engaging in conversation with Sitharaman and other ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister JP Nadda.
टैक्स के बोझ को लेकर सारे ताने और मीम वित्तमंत्री @nsitharaman जी के खाते में आते हैं और इसलिए ये देखना सुखद है कि जब बजट में आम आदमी को राहत दी गई तो प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi से लेकर सारे मंत्रियों ने उन्हें जाकर बधाई भी दी 😊
pic.twitter.com/xFzzNM6eFV— Sushant Sinha (@SushantBSinha) February 1, 2025
Calling the budget a significant milestone in India’s development, Modi stated, “Today is an important milestone in India’s development journey. This budget reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians and fulfils the dreams of every citizen. We have opened many sectors for the youth, and the common citizen will drive the mission of Viksit Bharat.”
He also sought to address concerns of the middle class, which has been perceived as moving away from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to rising costs and inflation.
“Usually, the focus of the budget is on how the government treasury will be filled. But this budget is exactly the opposite. How will this budget fill the pockets of the citizens, increase their savings and how will they become development partners… this budget lays a very strong foundation for it…” Modi said.
Highlighting employment as a key priority, he added that all job-generating sectors had been given special attention in the budget.
