Sartorial to spending: Green dominates the House during Budget speech

Rarely, if ever, has ‘green’ dominated saffron in the past nine years. However, green was the principle colour theme, in both Lok Sabha and in the 2023-24 Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.

Sitharaman was herself in scarlet and black -- a sari with the distinctive stamp of North Karnataka (Ilkal sari with Kasuti embroidery, especially created in 10 days for her by a local weaver who is part of an NGO, Artikrafts). But green was everywhere: From the vibrant green of the pagdi and muffler of Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri to the dark bottle green worn by Shatrughan Sinha as he sauntered into the House well after the Budget speech had started. There was the emerald of the sari worn by NCP MP Supriya Sule, the apple green of MP Darshana Jardosh and brilliant pops of the colour ranging from parrot to asparagus, dotted all over the House.

The word ‘green’ was used by the finance minister 23 times in her 60-plus-minute speech, reinforcing the jungle theme as she moved from thicket to thicket, stumbling occasionally – who would not, faced with tongue twisters like “agriculture accelerator”. Another slip of the tongue was replacing “polluting” vehicles with “political” vehicles, for which she sought the pardon of the House (sotto voce, she added “though it is applicable there”. Not everyone heard that). As she ploughed through the various names by which millet is known in India (jowar, ragi, bajra, kuttu, ramdana, kangni, kutki, kodo, cheena, and sama), her daughter Vangmayee, who was present in the visitors’ gallery to hear her mother deliver the Budget speech, permitted herself a small fond smile, and then quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

The Opposition was also present in (almost) full strength. MPs trooped in exactly two minutes into the speech shouting ‘Bharat Jodo’ and briefly interrupting the Budget speech. As MP Rahul Gandhi read the Budget speech on his laptop, Leader of the House, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary interrupted the finance minister to ask irately why she was constantly referring to 2014 (when the Congress government bowed out) and not 2009 (when it was re-elected for a second term). If the Treasury cries of “Modi! Modi!” filled the House periodically, the Opposition chortled “Adani” as the finance minister mentioned expansion plans for the airport and port sectors. But on the whole, it was a disciplined Opposition that did not seek to interrupt or disrupt the Budget speech. The rejigging of income tax bands evoked prolonged applause and later, even Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the Budget should be hailed for that one step.

However, there were many on both sides whom the Budget speech failed to shake or stir. Trinamool Congress MP, the venerable Saugata Roy, took a short cat nap, head resting against the post of the bench. He woke up guiltily a few minutes later, checking to see if anyone had noticed. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was probably in deep thought as he shut his eyes for a few minutes.

As the finance minister ended her speech, as per past practice, the first to greet her was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by Home Minister Amit Shah. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the recipient of huge budgetary largesse, also came around to thank her. The galleries emptied quickly (the last to leave the visitors’ gallery was Vangmayee with family and friends; the diplomats' gallery had no guests). But the finance minister lingered on for several minutes later as she was surrounded by women MPs offering special congratulations. There was a touch of poignancy to the ceremony: This was the last Budget speech any finance Minister in this Parliament building. She took one look, eyes committing to memory, every detail of the place that launched her career, and then prepared to depart.