Sitharaman meets Manmohan Singh ahead of her first budget

New Delhi, June 27: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday met former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in New Delhi, days ahead of the budget. It will be her first Budget after taking charge as a finance minister.

Singh would not be present in the Rajya Sabha for the first time since his first election from Assam in 1991 as he could not make up to the Parliament's upper House due to Congress' poor strength in the state Assembly.

The Congress party could not get him re-elected from Assam as it has only 25 MLAs as against 43 first-preference votes needed.

Singh led the upper House for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and acted as the Leader of the Opposition for six years. Singh was last elected to the House in 2013.

Singh was the finance minister from 1991 to 1996 in the Narasimha Rao government. He was also the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985, and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987. Singh is recognised for the economic reforms he announced in 1991.

On July 5, the BJP-led NDA government will unveil the Union budget for financial year ending March 2020. On February 1, PM Modi had presented the interim budget.