THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: No dramatic waves of the hand, meaningful silences or suggestive glances at treasury benches, and no dramatic announcements reminiscent of a grand old wizard casting a spell on spectators with a magic wand! On the other hand, the budget itself is not at all laced with soulful poetry or curious anecdotes adorned with some breathtaking painting that communicates well with even financially-illiterate laymen.
On the presentation front, the maiden budget of Finance Minister KN Balagopal stood apart from that of his predecessor, T M Thomas Isaac. If Isaac had a penchant for theatrics during presentation, Balagopal was focused, making it clear that he means business. Unlike Isaac who takes a lot of time in projecting each and every scheme before the House in a detailed manner, substantiating it with quotes and verses, the 57-year-old CPM secretariat member chose to run through the speech finishing it in just under an hour!
In his last budget, presented in January, Isaac had set a record for the longest budget speech of 3 hours and 18 minutes. He usually takes time in giving specific emphasis to his pet schemes, thereby prompting the treasury benches to clap while the Opposition benches make the usual hue and cry.
Both, however, seem to have found a common ground when it comes to making a political statement. If the budget was the right platform for Isaac to air his Left leanings — from a speech replete with poetic verses to the choice of painting on the cover page — Balagopal chose to be more blunt and direct while articulating his political stance.
The difference in approach was also evident in the speech. If the budget was a creative expression for Isaac, Balagopal chose to make it a direct finance statement with a no-nonsense approach. In fact, Isaac should be credited with making the budget a lively affair with the rendering of poetic verses by litterateurs and even students along with meaningful paintings. His creative approach in his first stint proved so effective that it prompted even K M Mani to adopt a similar approach.
Balagopal chose to be different from his predecessor during the post and pre-budget sessions too. Being a senior politician, Isaac generally greets the front benches and prominent leaders while Balagopal made it a point to have a word with most legislators.