The Union Budget is traditionally presented by the Finance Minister in the Lok Sabha every year, as mandated under Article 112 of the Constitution. But there have been occasions when the Prime Minister had to step in and table the Budget.
The first time this happened was in 1958 when Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Budget, making him the first Prime Minister to do so. This happened after Finance Minister T.T. Krishnamachari was forced to resign on February 12, following allegations of corruption and fraud in the Mundhra scam.
Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Union Budget, a rare and significant moment in India’s parliamentary history.
At the start of his Budget speech, Jawaharlal Nehru acknowledged the unusual circumstances, saying, “The finance minister, who would normally have made this statement this afternoon, is no longer with us. This heavy-duty has fallen upon me almost at the last moment.”
He remained the only Prime Minister to present the Budget until Morarji Desai, who served as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1979, tabled it in 1978 after the resignation of Finance Minister C. Subramaniam.
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also presented the Budget in 1970 when Morarji Desai resigned as Finance Minister in 1969.
Similarly, Rajiv Gandhi also tabled the Union Budget for FY 1987-88 after V.P. Singh stepped down as Finance Minister.
This year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table her eighth consecutive Union Budget.
