New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been a Rajya Sabha MP since 2016.
This time, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offered Sitharaman a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. But the Finance Minister declined the offer because she doesn’t have “the kind of money” to fight the 2024 general elections.
Speaking at the Times Now Summit, Sitharaman revealed on Wednesday that BJP president J P Nadda gave her the option to contest either from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu.
“After thinking over a week or 10 days, I just went back to say… maybe not. I do not have that kind of money to contest,” Sitharaman said.
“I also have a problem whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. It’s also going to be a question of various other winnability criteria that they use… Are you from this community or are you from that religion? Are you from this? I said no, I do not think I am going to able to do it,” the FM stated.
“I am very grateful that they accepted my argument… So I am not contesting,” she said.
Asked how come the Finance Minister of the country does not have enough funds to fight Lok Sabha elections, Sitharaman answered that the Consolidated Fund of India does not belong to her.
“My salary, my earnings, my savings are mine and not the Consolidated Fund of India.” She quipped.
Sitharaman, however, will be campaigning for multiple BJP candidates, including Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
