Face of Nation : In a veiled attack on Congress, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman connected her idea of carrying Budget documents wrapped in a red cloth instead of a briefcase with alleged corruption in the previous UPA government at the Centre. Speaking at the International Business Conference of Nagarathar, she said: “For Budget 2019, I did not carry a suitcase. We are not a suitcase-carrying government. A suitcase also denotes something else: suitcase-taking, suitcase-giving. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji”s government is not a suitcase government.”
For the presentation Union Budget for 2019-20, Ms Sitharaman decided to go with the swadeshi ”bahi khata” in line with Indian traditions, instead of the Budget briefcase which she said belonged to the British colonial era.