NEW DELHI: Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his “Budget ka halwa” jibe and said the leader of opposition had mocked a tradition which has been integral to Budget making since the 1980s and has over the years become an important ritual.
In her speech in Lok Sabha, the FM also took on Rahul for saying that OBCs and SCs/STs were not among officers who took part in this year’s pre-Budget halwa ceremony.”How many SC/ST and OBC officers were there during UPA days? Why did you not cancel the halwa ceremony? After all, you remote-controlled that govt,” Sitharaman said as she accused Rahul of seeking to divide people along caste lines, as she recalled Congress’s opposition to caste census since the days of first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
“It is a conspiracy that is happening now and that is why this question is being asked… Why divide people now by asking (the) caste of everyone involved?” FM asked, adding that one should refrain from presenting such an “emotional ceremony in poor light”.
Sitharaman said while the halwa ceremony, a well-known practice where the famous sweet dish is prepared and distributed in the presence of the finance minister and senior ministry functionaries before the Budget is sent for printing, dated to the 1980s, it became a photo opportunity in 2013-2014 when P Chidambaram was finance minister.
In her speech in Lok Sabha, the FM also took on Rahul for saying that OBCs and SCs/STs were not among officers who took part in this year’s pre-Budget halwa ceremony.”How many SC/ST and OBC officers were there during UPA days? Why did you not cancel the halwa ceremony? After all, you remote-controlled that govt,” Sitharaman said as she accused Rahul of seeking to divide people along caste lines, as she recalled Congress’s opposition to caste census since the days of first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
“It is a conspiracy that is happening now and that is why this question is being asked… Why divide people now by asking (the) caste of everyone involved?” FM asked, adding that one should refrain from presenting such an “emotional ceremony in poor light”.
Sitharaman said while the halwa ceremony, a well-known practice where the famous sweet dish is prepared and distributed in the presence of the finance minister and senior ministry functionaries before the Budget is sent for printing, dated to the 1980s, it became a photo opportunity in 2013-2014 when P Chidambaram was finance minister.