NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday defended the customary halwa ceremony that has been going on ever since the Budget was printed at the printing press on Minto Road, saying it is an Indian tradition where officials themselves prepare the sweet dish before any auspicious event begins. Taking a shot at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had dubbed the traditional halwa ceremony “Budget Halwa”, Sitharaman said it was an emotional issue for finance ministry officials who are spending four days and five nights in isolation to keep the Budget secret. “Halwa is an emotional and sentimental issue… How can such an important issue be treated so lightly?” Sitharaman said.
Responding to Gandhi’s remarks that no SC, ST or OBC were seen in the photographs of the halwa ceremony, Sitharaman said it became a photo-op event when the finance minister of the Congress-led UPA government in 2013-14 went to the North Block basement and distributed the customary pre-budget halwa.
“Why was the halwa ceremony not stopped then? You (Gandhi) had remote control powers. How many SC, ST and OBC officers were there at the ceremony then?” Sitharaman asked.
She said such statistical calculations regarding the caste of officers who attended the halwa ceremony were not done during the earlier years of the UPA government.
“…This is an ongoing conspiracy and that is why this question is being asked now… Why now divide people by questioning the caste of all those involved?” Sitharaman said, adding that people should refrain from mistreating such an emotional ritual.
She said Indian National Congress leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi were against reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs and leaders of the same party were now asking why they were not attending halwa ceremonies.
The Minister also spoke about two incidents showing the dedication of the officers who took part in the Halwa ceremony before entering the North Block basement for the printing of the budget.
(You can now subscribe to the Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
