In a veiled attack on Congress, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman connected her idea of carrying Budget documents wrapped in a red cloth instead of a briefcase with alleged corruption in the previous UPA government at the Centre.
Speaking at the International Business Conference of Nagarathar, she said: "For Budget 2019, I did not carry a suitcase. We are not a suitcase-carrying government. A suitcase also denotes something else: suitcase-taking, suitcase-giving. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji''s government is not a suitcase government."
For the presentation Union Budget for 2019-20, Ms Sitharaman decided to go with the swadeshi ''bahi khata'' in line with Indian traditions, instead of the Budget briefcase which she said belonged to the British colonial era.
She flashed the ''bahi khata,'' which is a kind of a ledger, wrapped in a red cloth containing her Budget speech and other related papers outside the North Block. The picture went viral on social media
FICCI Lists Pro-Blockchain Suggestions Ahead of Upcoming Union Budget: Details Watch: Nirmala Sitharaman Takes Part In Pre-Budget 'Halwa' Ceremony Union Budget 2024: Who Has Presented Most Number Of Budgets? 4 Top Leaders Quit Ajit Pawar's Party In Major Setback After Poll Drubbing Karnataka's 100% Quota Bill For Kannadigas In Private Firms For These Posts Trump's Running Mate Stirs Row With "Islamist" Nuclear State Jibe At UK Former Sikkim Minister's Body Found In West Bengal Canal Temple Trust Reacts To Shankaracharya's Kedarnath Gold Theft Claim 600 Jobs, 25,000 Seekers: Air India Drive Sets Off Stampede Fear In Mumbai Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.