Rahul Gandhi hints at Union Budget being pro-rich

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday reached the Parliament ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget and deftly hinted at the Budget being pro-rich.

When asked by reporters whether the Budget being presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be pro-Ambani or pro-farmers, Gandhi with an all-knowing smile said, "That is a good question, it means you have the understanding."

Sitharaman is presenting the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Parliament.

The Union Cabinet approved the budget ahead of its presentation.

The first budget of Narendra Modi government's second tenure is the maiden one for Sitharaman, who is the second woman finance minister of India after Indira Gandhi.

Sitharaman's parents, Savitri and Narayanan Sitharaman, are also present in the Parliament.

The Finance Minister on Thursday tabled in Parliament the pre-Budget Economic Survey for 2018-19, which projected the state of the economy and outlined its challenges. The survey was released by Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian on the same day.

This is the 89th Union Budget, which is the financial statement of the government, detailing its revenue and expenditure in the past, as well as estimated spending and projections for the coming year.