The lok Sabha saw an unusual situation during the presentation of the Union Budget, when an “ exhausted” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought a break. Acceding to the Minister’s request, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan gave a five-minute break when Jaitley had delivered a 40-minute fast-paced speech.
When the House reassembled, the Speaker said the break was given since Jaitley felt “slightly unwell”. She then allowed him to resume the Budget presentation while being seated. The Finance Minister also suffered from back pain and was once seen leaning on the lectern.
Earlier, during his speech Jaitley was seen frequently drinking water. This is probably for the first time that the Budget speech had to be halted. later talking to media, Jaitley’s wife Sangeeta, who was in Parliament to witness the Budget speech, said her husband was facing minor back problems.