Union Budget 2025 | FM Sitharaman turns to 'Thirukkural' yet again in her budget speech

Sitharaman, who gave a miss to the couplets in her 2024-2025 budget presented on July 23 last year, invoked Thiruvalluvar on Saturday before reading the direct tax proposals, which have come as a major relief for the middle class.

Chennai: Thirukkural, a collection of 1,300 couplets written by saint-poet Thiruvalluvar at least 2,000 years ago, made a comeback to the Union Budget on Saturday after a gap of three years.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who hails from Tamil Nadu, has been following one of her predecessors P Chidambaram, who turned to the pearls of wisdom of Thiruvalluvar in his budget speeches between 1996-1998, 2004-2008 and 2013-2014.

Sitharaman, who gave a miss to the couplets in 2022,2023, and 2024, invoked Thiruvalluvar on Saturday before reading the direct tax proposals, which have come as a major relief for the middle class.

“Vaanokki Vaazhum Ulakellaam Mannavan Kol Nokki Vaazhung Kudi (all the world looks up to heaven for rain, and the subjects to their king for justice),” Sitharaman said. Her quoting of the Kural was to drive home the point that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government was committed to keeping an ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse and responding while balancing our nation-building efforts.

The finance minister said reforms are not a destination, but a means to achieve good governance for our people and economy. “Providing good governance primarily involves being responsive. The Thirukkural captures this in this verse,” Sitharaman said.

Sitharaman, a native of Tiruchirapalli, has also quoted verses from the Sangam Literature in her budget speeches in the past. Not just Sitharaman, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been looking up to Thiruvalluvar and his couplets, which offers a piece of advice for every issue that the modern world encounters.

Thirukkural is one of the very few classics that have been translated into several global languages and boasts of several websites that give out information in English and Tamil.

Also, Sitharaman is the sixth Finance Minister from Tamil Nadu to have presented the Union Budget in independent India. Free India’s first budget was also presented by R K Shanmukham Chetty, a Tamil who was born in Coimbatore, on November 26, 1947. T T Krishnamachari (1957-1958 & 1963-1965), C Subramaniam (1975-1977), R Venkataraman (1980-1982), and Chidambaram also hailed from Tamil Nadu.

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Union Budget 2025 | Nirmala Sitharaman, as Finance Minister, presented her record 8th Union Budget this time. While inflation has burnt a hole in the pockets of 'aam janata', the Modi govt gave income tax relief for those making up to Rs 12 lakh per year in salaried income. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analysis only on Deccan Herald. Also follow us on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.