Not only finance ministers, these PMs have presented Budget too
On February 22, 1958, India witnessed an unprecedented event in its political history when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took on the responsibility of presenting the Union Budget. This unusual circumstance arose following the resignation of Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari due to allegations of corruption and fraud. Nehru, who was already overseeing External Affairs and Atomic Energy, added the Finance Ministry to his portfolio and presented the budget on February 28. Interestingly, he wasn't the only PM to do so.
Morarji Desai: A decade of Budget presentations
Nehru's budget was described as "pedestrian," as it built upon the previous year's budget introduced by Krishnamachari, who had implemented "novel taxes" such as wealth tax and expenditure tax. Following Nehru, Prime Minister Morarji Desai took on the task of presenting India's Union Budget. From 1967 to 1970, Desai presented budgets for each year, including an interim budget for 1967-68. In total, he presented 10 budgets during his tenure from 1959 to 1969.
Indira Gandhi: Budgets focused on social welfare
After Desai's resignation in 1970, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took over the task of presenting the Union Budget. She was the first woman to hold the post of finance minister. During her tenure, she presented the budget twice, with a primary focus on poverty alleviation, social welfare programs, and the nationalization of banks. This marked a shift in India's fiscal policy toward more socially-oriented initiatives.
Rajiv Gandhi: Stepping in amidst controversy
Indira's son and PM Rajiv Gandhi followed suit. This responsibility fell upon him after VP Singh resigned as Finance Minister in 1987. Singh's resignation was triggered by his investigation into high-profile cases of tax evasion, including those suspected to be close to Rajiv. Rajiv presented the budget from 1987 to 1989. After Rajiv, there have been nine PMs, but not one has presented the Union Budget. Manmohan Singh, who later became PM, presented the Budget as finance minister in 1991.
