When O. Panneerselvam raises to deliver the budget address in the Assembly on Wednesday next, he will be the first Chief Minister to submit a full-fledged budget after a gap of 15 years.
On March 24, 2000, the then Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M. Karunanidhi, who held the Finance portfolio just as Mr. Panneerselvam does, presented the budget for 2000-2001. [What has not been taken into account here is the DMK leader’s presentation of interim budget in January 2001].
Also, Mr. Panneerselvam, who has been Chief Minister since September last, will be the first from the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to present a budget while holding the CM’s post.
From the days of the AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran, the practice has been to give the portfolio of Finance to a person other than Chief Minister. When MGR was in power (1977-1987), Nanjil K. Manoharan and V.R. Nedunchezhiyan were Finance Ministers. When AIADMK’s general secretary Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister during 1991-96, Nedunchezhiyan, popularly called Navalar for his oratorical skills, served as the Finance Minister.
During Ms Jayalalithaa’s second tenure (2001-2006), C. Ponnaiyan held the portfolio. When she came back to power in May 2011, Mr Panneerselvam got the subject.
But, in the case of the rival DMK, two leaders - C. N. Annadurai and M. Karuanidhi - had handled the subject even as they were Chief Ministers. The State’s last Congress Chief Minister M. Bhakthavatsalam, who held the office during October 1963 to March 1967, presented three budgets while remaining in the post. Between 1962 and 1967, totally, there were five budgets from him.
His colleague, C. Subramaniam, held the distinction of being the only Finance Minister in the State to have presented 13 budgets (1952-1962) without a break. He was also the only Finance Minister from the State who went on to become Union Finance Minister (October 1974-March 1977) in the Indira Gandhi Ministry.
