Halwa an emotional, sentimental matter for Finance Ministry staff: Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the pre-budget Halwa ceremony, stressing its traditional and emotional importance for the Finance Ministry staff. She responded to Rahul Gandhi's criticisms about the absence of SC, ST, or OBC individuals, questioning why such concerns were not raised during the UPA era, and condemned the divisive nature of current criticisms.