Jawaharlal Nehru To Rajiv Gandhi: When Prime Ministers Presented Budget

The Union Budget, a detailed statement of the Central government's estimated receipts and expenditures for a financial year, is traditionally presented by the Union Finance Minister per Article 112 of the Constitution. For FY 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Budget in the Parliament on February 1.

There have been rare moments in India's history when the prime minister, and not the finance minister, stepped in to table the Union Budget due to unexpected political developments.

Jawaharlal Nehru And The First Such Budget

The first instance of a Prime Minister presenting the Union Budget came in 1958, when Jawaharlal Nehru tabled the Budget for the financial year 1958-59. This happened due to the resignation of then Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari on February 12, 1958.

Krishnamachari, known for introducing major tax reforms during his tenure, resigned after the Justice Chagla Commission found him guilty of corruption in the Mundhra scam. Following his exit, Prime Minister Nehru took charge of the finance portfolio and presented the Budget himself, marking a rare departure from parliamentary convention.

Jawaharlal Nehru's Remarks In Parliament

At the beginning of his Budget speech, Nehru addressed the unusual circumstances under which he was presenting it. He said, “According to custom, the Budget statement for the coming year has to be presented today. Of an unexpected and unhappy chain of circumstances, the Finance Minister, who would normally have made this statement this afternoon, is no longer with us. This heavy-duty has fallen upon me almost at the last moment.”

Describing the Budget as “pedestrian”, Nehru said it largely continued the proposals announced by Krishnamachari in the previous year. That earlier Budget had introduced two new levies - wealth tax and expenditure tax.

Other Prime Ministers Who Tabled The Budget

Jawaharlal Nehru remained the only Prime Minister to present the Union Budget until 1978. That year, Morarji Desai, who served as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1979, tabled the Budget after the resignation of then Finance Minister C Subramaniam.

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also presented the Union Budget in 1970, following Morarji Desai's resignation as finance minister in 1969. Rajiv Gandhi tabled the Budget for FY 1987-88 after VP Singh stepped down from the finance portfolio.

This year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget.