Budget 2026: The longest budget speeches ever delivered in India - Ranked

Budget 2026 | Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s presented her ninth consecutive Budget in the Parliament on February 1 2026. The Finance Minister emphasised that the government has consistently chosen reform over rhetoric and addressed global uncertainty.

Union Budget speeches also record moments of political messaging and economic storytelling rather than just numbers and their impact. Over the years, some Union Budget speeches became memorable milestones, marked by their depth, detail, and duration. Here are the five longest Union Budget speeches in India’s history, ranked by length.

1. Nirmala Sitharaman (2020-21) - 2 hours 40 minutes

The longest Budget speech ever was delivered by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2020. Spanning over 11,000 words, the speech covered agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, education, taxation, and financial sector reforms.

It was so lengthy that the Finance Minister had to pause before finishing, with the remaining text submitted later. This marked history in more ways than one.

2. Jaswant Singh (2003-04) - 2 hours 13 minutes

Former Finance Minister Jaswant Singh delivered one of the longest speeches during the NDA government. His Budget focused on fiscal consolidation, reforms, and economic stability at a time when India was emerging from a slowdown.

3. Arun Jaitley (2014-15) - 2 hours 10 minutes

This was his first Budget speech after the Modi government assumed office in May 2014. This speech by Jaitley featured key reforms, including increased FDI in defence. 

4. Nirmala Sitharaman (2019-20) - 2 hours 9 minutes

This was her first Budget speech after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister for the second time. Her speech focused on ease of living, increased allocation for Indian Railways, pre-filing of Income Tax returns, and customs duty reductions. 

5. P. Chidambaram (2013-14) - Nearly 2 hours

Delivered during a challenging economic phase, this speech focused on managing fiscal stress, boosting growth, and restoring investor confidence amid slowing economic momentum.