Watch: PM Modi walks up to Nirmala Sitharaman after Budget 2025 | Latest News

After presenting her eighth budget on Saturday, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman received greetings from her cabinet colleagues, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also walking over to offer his greetings.

A video from the Lok Sabha showed Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia being the first to shake hands with her, followed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Manohar Lal Khattar, while others greeted her with folded hands.

As Sitharaman reciprocated the gestures of her party members, Prime Minister Modi was seen rising from his seat and walking towards her.

In the video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen speaking with Nirmala Sitharaman and other ministers, including Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and health minister JP Nadda.

Calling the budget a significant step in India’s development, Modi said, “Today is an important milestone in India’s development journey. This budget reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians and fulfils the dreams of every citizen. We have opened many sectors for the youth, and the common citizen will drive the mission of Viksit Bharat.”

He sought to reach out to the middle class perceived to have moved away from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over rising costs and inflation.

“Usually, the focus of the budget is on how the government treasury will be filled. But this budget is exactly the opposite. How will this budget fill the pockets of the citizens, increase their savings and how will they become development partners… this budget lays a very strong foundation for it…” he said.

Modi said all employment-generating sectors have been given priority in the budget. Employment is a key electoral concern.