Last Updated:January 30, 2025, 09:54 IST

Union Budget Speeches: Budget sessions have seen Finance Ministers like Manmohan Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman blend fiscal policies with poetry and quotes, adding a unique touch to India’s financial narrative.

These sessions have seen several Finance Ministers using thoughtful quotes from poets and philosophers (PTI file photo)

Union Budget sessions have witnessed many fiscal policies and government’s visions over the years and many times along a pinch of poetry and thoughtful quotes. These sessions have seen several Finance Ministers using thoughtful quotes from poets and philosophers to underline their key strategies and deliver their messages.

From Manmohan Singh to Nirmala Sitharaman, ministers have blended their policy announcements with cultural references in their speeches, giving a unique touch to country’s financial narrative.

Dr. Manmohan Singh: Ushering In Era Of Economic Liberalisation

Dr. Manmohan Singh who is also referred to as the architect of India’s economic liberalisation in the 1990s, delivered one of the most significant Budget speeches in 1991. The speech readied with around 18,650 words remains the longest in history.

The highlight of this speech was not just its length but also the touch of Urdu poetry that Singh added to it.

The use of Urdu poet Allama Iqbal’s verses that read: “Yunan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan se ab tak magar, hai baki naam-o-nishan hamara…” made it memorable.

[The verses translates to: Greek, Egyptians, and Romans have all vanished, but we are still here. There must be something special that we still exist despite the whole world being against us.]

Besides, he also quoted Victor Hugo’s evergreen quote: “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come.” Singh’s selection of words embodied the transformative vision of India’s shift to a market-driven economy.

Later in 1992, he again drew a quote from poetry, this time he chose Muzaffar Razmi. The quote read, “Kuchh aise bhee manzar hain taareekh ki nazron mein, Lamhon ne khataa ki thi, sadiyon ne sazaa paayee.”

[This translates to: Even this has happened in history; mistakes made in moments created trouble for centuries.]

Yashwant Sinha: Encouraging to Fight The Odds

Yashwant Sinha, who served as Finance Minister during the BJP-led government (1999-2002), also used metaphors to stress on the necessity of facing challenges head-on. One of the motivating quotes cited by him was: “Taqaazaa hai waqt kaa ke toofaan se joojho, Kahaan tak chaloge kinaare kinaare.”

[This Translation to: The times require you to fight the storms. How long will you keep walking on the shore?]

Jaswant Singh: A Focus On People Welfare

Yashwant Sinha’s successor, Jaswant Singh emphasised the welfare of common citizens through his 2003 Budget speech which included a heartfelt line that read: “Garib ke pet mein dana, Grihini ki tukia mein anna.”

[Translation: Food in the belly of the poor, and money in the purse of the homemaker.]

The statement embodied the BJP government’s commitment to social welfare, even amid economic challenges.

P Chidambaram: A Tip For Making Right Decision

Congress stalwart P Chidambaram’s admiration for Saint Thiruvalluvar was quite evident as he quoted him almost every year. One he cites one of his quotes that read, “Kalangathu kanda vinaikkan thulangkathu thookkang kadinthu seyal.”

[This translates to: What clearly eye discerns as right, with steadfast will and mind unslumbering, that should man fulfil.]

In one memorable instance back in 2006-07, Chidambaram included Henry David Thoreau’s quotes to highlight the significance of ambition. The quote read, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

In another instance, he cited the never-dying quote of Swami Vivekananda to reiterate the idea of self-determination: “We are the makers of our own fate. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails are unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way.”

Arun Jaitley: How To Conquer Goals

Arun Jaitley was also not left untouched by the essence of metaphors as his Budget speeches also had some motivational lines added, reflecting the government’s aspirations. His 2017-18 speech was peppered with this statement: “When my aim is true, when my goal is in sight, the winds favour me, and I soar.”

While in 2014-15, he reflected a sense of resilience, saying: “Kuchh to gul khilaye hain, kuchh abhi khilaane hain, Par baagh mein ab bhi kaante kuchh puraane hain.”

[Translation: We have made some flowers bloom, and there are more yet to bloom. But there are still some old thorns in the garden.]

In 2017, Jaitley confidently recited: “Kashti chalaane walon ne jab haar kar di patwar hamein, Lehar lehar toofan mile aur mauj mauj manjdhaar humein. Phir bhi dikhaya hai humne aur phir yeh dikha denge sabko, In halato mein aata hai daria karna paar humein.”

[Translation: When the sailors steering the boat handed us the oar in defeat, we encountered storms and rapids at every turn]

His words embodied the NDA government’s commitment to navigate economic turbulence.

Nirmala Sitharaman: A Nation With Forward-Looking Aspirants

The Budget Sessions have also seen Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speeches peppered with a poetry, showcasing a deep connection with India’s cultural heritage. In her 2019-20 Budget speech, Sitharaman cites verses of Urdu poet Manzoor Hashmi:

“Yaqin ho to koi rasta nikalta hai, Hawa ki ot bhi le kar chirag jalta hai.”

[Translation: You can find a way if you have faith in yourself, just as an earthen lamp can also light up despite air blowing around.]

Again In 2020, following the scrapping of Article 370, the FM invoked Kashmiri poet Pandit Dina Nath Kaul: “Hamara vatan, khilte hue Shalimar Bagh jaisa Hamara vatan, Dal jheel main khilte hue kamal jaisa, Nau-jawanon ke garam khoon jaisa, Mera vatan, tera vata, hamara vatan, Duniya ka sabse pyaara vatan.”

[Translation: Our country is like a blooming Shalimar Bagh, like the lotus in Dal Lake, and like the fiery blood of our youth.]

While the world struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, Sitharaman turned to Rabindranath Tagore for hope of light. The quote read, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark’.