New Delhi: When it comes to some hard-hitting
repartees and sound advice, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
does not spare even his own daughter.
Though he expressed surprise at the open letter his
daughter wrote to him on the eve of the Union budget,
Mukherjee advised her not to expect solutions to all problems
by just writing letters.
"The functioning of a democratic society is a collective
responsibility of the government, the common citizen and the
political leadership of the country.
"The state cannot function in isolation for creating an
ideal society where kindness to animals and respect to fellow
citizens would be a norm not imposed by state but out of
genuine concern for others," the Finance Minister said
replying to his daughter's letter.
His daughter Sharmishtha had her father in the letter
to consider giving tax rebates to people who adopt stray dogs
and impose taxes on people who litter roads.
The Finance Minister asked his daughter to be more
proactive in addressing these issues if she was really
concerned about them.
On her demand for increasing her pocket money, he
said, he was willing to look into the matter as long as she
was willing to negotiate reasonably.
"We may arrive at a sum through mutual consent but
only if you promise to rationally discuss the matter and not
try to get your way through emotional blackmailing," he said.
-PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 02, 2010, 21:48