‘Replacing old political…’, when Sitharaman’s budget speech provided a light moment

New Delhi: Whether it was just a slip of tongue or a tongue-in-cheek swipe at opposition parties, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s mention of replacing “old political” before correcting it with “old polluting vehicles” triggered moments of mirth all round during her budget speech in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Speaking on the vehicle replacement measures to curb pollution, she said, “Vehicle replacement is an important continuing policy. Replacing the old political…” Treasury benches had a good laugh as the slip, deliberate or not, appeared to be aimed at the opposition Congress, India’s oldest political party which has been replaced by the BJP as the country’s most powerful party.
Smiling, she quickly followed up with a sorry and continued. “Replacing old polluting vehicles, may be applicable, right… Replacing old polluting vehicles is an important part of greening our economy. In furtherance of the vehicle scrapping policy mentioned in the Budget 22-23, I have allocated adequate funds to scrap old vehicles of the central government.”