'British went, there traditions must go,' says Thakur as Sitharaman ditches briefcase for budget papers

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said his senior Nirmala Sitharaman's decision to carry Budget documents in a 4-fold red cloth was a sign of departure of the western tradition from India and a step towards becoming a superpower.

"Angrez chale gaye, angrezon ki paramaparayein bhi chali jani chahiye' (British went out of the country long ago, there traditions also must go). We are moving in the direction to become a superpower. It's a step in that direction," he told ANI here.

He also said India was moving towards becoming a 5-trillion economy as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We became 2 trillion dollar economy by 2014, but another 1 trillion dollars was added to it in the last five years under Modi ji's leadership," he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reached Parliament with a 4-fold red cloth in her hands instead of a suitcase to present the maiden Budget of Modi government 2.0.

Reacting to Sithraman's move, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said Finance Ministers from future Congress governments would carry an iPad.

He said: "Take it from me, our Congress' Finance Minister will in the future bring an iPad.