FM not being invited for pre-Budget meets by PMO: Chavan

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan claimed on Wednesday that pre-Budget meetings are being held at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) but Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is not being invited.

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not happy with Sitharaman's performance, he should ask her to resign, the former Maharashtra chief minister said here.

The Union budget would be presented on February 1.

"Traditionally, pre-Budget meetings are conducted by the finance ministry. The entire Budget process happens at the finance ministry, under the finance minister's guidance," Chavan, who was a minister in the PMO during the UPA years, said.

He claimed that Modi held 13 pre-Budget consultation meetings which were attended by top industrialists.

"Surprisingly, to none of these meetings Sitharaman was invited," he alleged.

If this meant that the prime minister was not happy with her performance, Sitharaman should be asked to resign, the Congress leader said.

"This (keeping Sitharaman out of the loop) will demoralize the entire finance ministry staff as this is unprecedented," Chavan added.