Will never present Budget again while fasting: Omar Abdullah

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said he would never present the Budget again while observing Ramzan fast. Abdullah said this was the first budget of the J-K Assembly after 2018 and his first Budget as the finance minister.

He presented the Budget in the Assembly and spoke without stopping for almost one hour and 45 minutes while observing the sixth day of Ramzan fast.

The chief minister said he could have advanced or postponed the Budget Session.


"After today's experience, I will never present my Budget again while having Ramadan fast. Either I will pre or postpone the session or request the Speaker with folded hands to arrange the session around 6.30 pm (after breaking the day-long fast)," Abdullah told a press conference here.

He was responding to a question about the difficulty in holding the Budget Session during the ongoing holy month of Ramzan, especially in presenting the Budget when one does not swallow even a drop of water.

The chief minister said he was facing difficulty in speaking after the Budget speech that continued for nearly one hour and forty-five minutes in the Assembly.

"Interestingly, this was also the first time that any chief minister of J&K presented the Budget himself while holding the portfolio of the finance minister," Abdullah said.