Nirmala Sitharaman flags gender bias around Budget day attire: 'They don’t ask a man'

For this year's Budget presentation, Sitharaman wore a handwoven Kanchipuram silk saree from Tamil Nadu and carried the digital Budget document in a traditional red bahi-khata style pouch, continuing a practice she has followed in recent years.

• Sitharaman condemned gender bias over focus on her attire during Budget talks.
• She stressed women leaders deserve equal treatment to men in professional spaces.
• Sitharaman wore a Kanchipuram silk saree for her 9th consecutive Budget presentation.

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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Sunday evening, spoke out against what she described as persistent gender bias surrounding Budget day, saying public attention frequently shifts from policy to her attire, scrutiny she said male finance ministers do not face.

"Every year, it becomes a strain on me because of questions about what I am going to wear on Budget day," Sitharaman said during an interaction after presenting the Union Budget 2026. "I dare ask, would they have ever asked a male finance minister what he is wearing during the Budget? They don’t ask it of a man, but no, even this becomes a subject of the Budget," she remarked.

Referring to public commentary ahead of the Budget, Sitharaman said remarks such as "Arre saree kaun si -- what she is going to read, what she is going to tell us" shift focus away from substance. "I don’t find this harmful, but it goes in a direction that is not necessary. This becomes a stress point for women," she said, adding, "I am out of it now. I will wear what I want".

Emphasising equality in professional spaces, the finance minister said women leaders should be treated no differently from men. "How you treat a man, you treat me also, that means that we draw equality in the true sense,” she said. "You can’t demand privileges, mahila hain ki? Nahi chalega, kaam main dikhao," she noted.

Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on February 1 for a record ninth consecutive time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed this milestone during the Cabinet meeting and at the start of the Budget session.

For this year's Budget presentation, Sitharaman wore a handwoven Kanchipuram silk saree from Tamil Nadu and carried the digital Budget document in a traditional red bahi-khata style pouch, continuing a practice she has followed in recent years.

Over the years, Sitharaman’s profile within and outside the government has grown as she has steered economic policy through major challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic and global trade disruptions.

Speaking later to students, including several young women, the finance minister said the repeated focus on her appearance reflects a deeper issue faced by women in leadership positions, where professional work is often overshadowed by commentary unrelated to performance or policy.