While presenting her second annual budget, the Indian finance minister appears to have set a new record with her 2 hour and 38 minute address, believed to be the longest ever budget speech in the history of independent India.
Interestingly enough, she had to cut short her speech on the advice of her cabinet colleagues, with two pages still left to be read as she reportedly started feeling unwell towards the end of the budget presentation.
#GOA365 SHORTS FM Nirmala Sitharaman feels uneasy at the fag end of budget speech, finds difficulty speaking, tables rest of the speech, but introduces finance bill before House is adjourned. pic.twitter.com/UihCwo8AQ7
— goa365tv (@goa365tv1) February 1, 2020
Longest budget speech ever!
— India EquityResearch (@IndiaER) February 1, 2020
ladies have more stamina than men !!#BudgetSession2020 #Budget2020 #NirmalaSitharaman pic.twitter.com/6pA8EzmSkD
The budget, however, did not impress the stock market. Immediately after the speech, India’s Sensex representing the top 30 companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange crashed by 700 points while the broader index Nifty slipped over 200 points.
Parliamentarians were also left exhausted by the speech and jokingly put in a demand to limit the duration of speech by law.
There must a time limit for budget speeches. #Budget2020
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) February 1, 2020
Longest Budget Speech is also the most lacklustre budget ever
— Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) February 1, 2020
After Acche Din, New India,it now appears that the Govt has also abandoned the target of $5 trillion economy
This budget confirms not only the bankruptcy of the economy but also a bankruptcy of govt’s ideas ...
Just platitudes & slogans. Nothing substantial to alleviate peoples’ misery, the growing unemployment, rural wage crash, farmers’ distress suicides and galloping prices. #BudgetSpeech pic.twitter.com/867dB4f4lc
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 1, 2020
Journalists, who were attentively listening to the speech and provided information to their respective media organisations for quick updates, also vented their annoyance and stress.
FM cuts short speech, with two pages left to be read.
— Poulomi Saha (@PoulomiMSaha) February 1, 2020
Was visibly exhausted.
Longest budget speech in Parliamentary history https://t.co/YsWqiKXCih
Maybe the plan is that @nsitharaman continues her speech for so long that this news cycle ends and the next one begins and no one cares about the budget anymore?
— Amit Varma (@amitvarma) February 1, 2020
This year’s budget also left many people feeling exhausted in terms of immense hope which many of them had nurtured. Some of them, however, took to social media to share how lethargic they felt while uselessly awaiting "good news".
1. Indians before budget speech.
— Nirmala Tai Halwe wali (@Vishj05) February 1, 2020
2. Indians after budget speech.#Budget2020 pic.twitter.com/4G9WD2BIaQ
Ma'm @nsitharaman ji when are you planning to start a series of press conferences to rectify the HORRORS of a disappointing budget speech?
— Dr Praveen Patil (@5Forty3) February 1, 2020
A Cappuccino to keep me awake through the finance minister’s 2 hours and 42 minutes budget speech on a Saturday morning. This has to be the longest and mind-numbing budget speech ever. 🤦♀️😰 pic.twitter.com/1DIZOTKavK
— Nauzer Bharucha (@nauzerbTOI) February 1, 2020Speech Analytica: Live analysis of Nirmala Sitharaman's second Union Budget
— Sunil Kumar (@SunilKu94764515) February 1, 2020
Speech Analytica: Live analysis of Nirmala Sitharaman's second Union Budget pic.twitter.com/ACqvAm6x0gMiddle class waiting for income tax part of the budget speech.. #Budget2020 pic.twitter.com/DiOfpAE1G9
— The-Lying-Lama 2.0 (@KyaUkhaadLega) February 1, 2020
