When Sitharaman quoted Thiruvalluvar

February 01, 2021

During her third Budget presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday quoted a Tamil couplet from the classic Thirukkural written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, mentioning the quality of a good king.

"A king/ruler is the one who creates and acquires wealth, protects and distributes it for common good," Sitharaman said while quoting from the Thirukkural before announcing her proposal for direct taxes.

This was the second time Sitharaman has quoted Thiruvalluvar.

During the presentation of Budget last year, she quoted Thiruvalluvar's couplet on the 'five jewels' required by a good country.