New Delhi: It is not usual for a Finance
Minister to speak on the eve of the Union Budget in Parliament
on issues that he may have to address in his Budget speech.
But, Pranab Mukherjee today spoke at length on measures
being taken by the government to tackle 17.58 per cent food
inflation and certain aspects of the economy.
"Though this is not the practice, I spoke on the eve of
the Budget," Mukherjee said in identical remarks in both
Houses of Parliament.
However, the Finance Minister did not oblige members in
the Rajya Sabha with clarifications on his intervention in the
debate on the issue of price rise, even when CPI-M member
Sitaram Yechury sought some more information.
After Mukherjee explained his constraints, Yechuri agreed
with the "spirit".
The Finance Minister will present the Budget tomorrow and
it is likely to partially withdraw stimulus package and unveil
certain measures to deal with inflation.
-PTI
First Published: Friday, February 26, 2010, 00:32