Rahul Gandhi predicts how FM Sitharaman’s photo will look like on Budget day: ‘You will not see…’

On the eve of Union Budget 2025, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi predicted how Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would ‘look’ on Budget day. “The finance minister will go with a briefcase. A photo will come. You will not see a single Dalit, a tribal, a backward class person or a minority in the photo," Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.

“There are 90 officers who will prepare the budget tomorrow. Out of 90, 3 officers are from OBC. Your population is 50 per cent and tomorrow if 100 rupees are distributed in the budget, then your officers will take a decision of only 5 rupees,” Rahul Gandhi added.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is the centre of attention on Budget day for more reasons than one. Her sarees garner as much traction as her fiscal policies.

On Friday, President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint session of Parliament, thereby kickstarting the Budget 2025 session.

Economic Survey 2024-25

Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey document in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on Friday, January 31.

India's FY26 GDP growth is expected in the range of 6.3-6.8 per cent amid global uncertainty. The survey expects inflation to be under control while consumption could remain stable. It also expects rural demand to gain traction going forward.

According to the Economic Survey, agriculture sector remains strong, consistently operating well above trend levels. The industrial sector has also found its footing above the pre-pandemic trajectory. The robust growth rate in recent years has brought the services sector to its trend levels, according to the survey.

The survey also noted that retail headline inflation softened from 5.4 per cent in FY24 to 4.9 per cent in April –December 2024 due to various government initiatives and monetary policy measures.

Union Budget 2025

The finance minister will present the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha at 11 am on February 1. The budget speech will outline the government's fiscal policies, revenue and expenditure proposals, taxation reforms, and other significant announcements.