Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who delivered his eighth budget speech last week, now occupies the fourth slot in the special club figuring those who have presented the maximum number of budgets. And within the AIADMK, he is next only to the late Nedunchezhiyan in terms of this feat.
Mr. Panneerselvam, who has held the portfolio of Finance since 2011, did not present the 2017-18 budget as he was not part of the Cabinet for six months till he returned in August 2017. Among those who watched his presentation on Thursday last was C. Ponnaiyan, who himself has delivered six budget speeches between 2001-06. [The presentation of interim budgets has also been taken into account for the purpose of calculation].
V.R. Nedunchezhiyan, who was the Finance Minister for 12 years in the Cabinets headed by M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, still holds the distinction of having presented the highest number of budgets with 14. He held the portfolio during 1980-87 and 1991-96.
C. Subramaniam, the only Tamil Nadu Finance Minister who became Union Finance Minister (October 1974-March 1977) too, handled the portfolio in the State between 1952 and 1962 and submitted 13 budgets without a break. Subramaniam got the opportunity of presenting the State budget once again – in March 1976 as the Union Finance Minister – when the State was under the President’s rule with the dissolution of the Assembly in January 1976. Under similar circumstances in 1988, N.D. Tiwari, who held the portfolio of Finance in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet, submitted the budget in March that year.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi, who held the portfolio during 1970-76; 1989-91; and 1996-2001 during his Chief Ministership, had presented the budget 13 times.
