Budget 2014: Finance Minister Takes Unprecedented Break During Speech

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took a break in the middle of his budget presentation because of a severe back pain and read out much of his speech sitting, an unusual departure from tradition.

The Lok Sabha adjourned briefly at 11.47 am after Mr Jaitley sought a five-minute break due to his back pain. He told Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that he wanted to rest. It is the first time that a finance minister has ever paused during his budget speech.

After the house reassembled, Mr Jaitley resumed his speech sitting.

The 61-year-politician is known to suffer from recurring backaches and is also diabetic.

A budget speech usually lasts over two hours, and finance ministers usually soldier on by shifting their weight and pausing for water.

Unlock this article for free
Sign up to access exclusive stories, fewer ads, and a personalised experience.
Set as Trusted Source
on Google Search
Add NDTV Profit As Google Preferred Source