FM Sitharaman delivers a 160-minute comprehensive budget speech, cuts short feeling unwell

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday cut short her Budget speech as she felt unwell after speaking for a record 160 minutes in Lok Sabha. Sitharaman had only two pages of her Budget speech unread when she appeared uneasy and was seen wiping sweat from her forehead.

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She was offered candies by her ministerial colleagues, but that did not help and she opted to discontinue the speech asking Speaker Om Birla to consider the remaining part of her speech as read. This was the longest Budget speech by any finance minister. She broke her own record of a 2-hour-17-minute-long maiden Budget speech in July 2017.

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The Finance Minister later laid budget documents and demand for grants for the next financial year in Rajya Sabha. The Upper House, which met around 1:30 pm for tabling of budget documents, was adjourned as her speech was still continuing in Lok Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha met again at 1:55 pm but was again adjourned for 10 minutes as Sitharaman reached late. When she arrived in the upper house, many members approached her and were seen asking her wellbeing. After laying of papers, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House till Monday.