Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman continued the tradition of quoting poets by reciting lines of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar during her presentation of Union Budget 2021 on Monday.

Referring to the ‘resilience’ shown by India in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, Sitharaman quoted Tagore and said, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

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In another mention, highlighting the successes of the Modi government, Sitharaman quoted chapter 738 of Tirukkural by Thiruvalluvar. “Pinyin Mai Selvam Vilavinpam Emam Aniyenpa Nattive Vaindhu”. (Health, fertility, happiness, security and wealth are the five jewels of any model country).

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This drew quick reactions from Tweeple with users commenting that the Finance Minister had chosen to pick poets from two election-bound states. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are going to polls in April along with Kerala, Puducherry and Assam. Several road projects were announced for all poll-bound states.

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Last year, during her Budget speech, Sitharaman had quoted renowned Kashmiri poet Pandit Dinanath Kaul Nadim, a Sahitya Academi Award winner.

Translating the verse into Hindi she said: “Humara watan khilte hue Shalimar bagh jaise, humara watan Dal Lake mein khilte hue kamal jaisa, nau jawanon ke garam khoon jaisa, mera watan tera watan, humara watan, duniya ka sabse pyara watan.. (Our nation is like Shalimar Bagh, our nation is like the lotus in the Dal Lake, our nation is like the energy of the youth, my nation your nation, our nation, the most adorable nation in the world.)”

Several Finance Minister’s over the years have quoted poets and economists to buttress their points during the Budget presentation. Manmohan Singh, as Finance Minister in 1991, had quoted author Victor Hugo, saying, “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come.”

In 2007, P Chidambaram, presenting his Budget quoted  Swami Vivekananda. “We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails are unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that the fault of the wind?……. We make our own destiny,” he had said

Pranab Mukherjee, as Finance Minister  in 2010,  quoted  Kautilya, author of Arthashastra — “Just as one plucks fruits from a garden as they ripen, so shall a King have revenue collected as it becomes due. Just as one does not collect unripe fruits, he shall avoid taking wealth that is not due because that will make the people angry and spoil the very sources of revenue.”