Sonia Gandhi backs Pranab over fuel price hike

Last Updated: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 18:06

Tags: Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukherji, Fuel Price Hike

Sonia Gandhi backs Pranab over fuel price hike

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: The UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday supported the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices at a time when the entire opposition has locked horns with the ruling coalition over the issue.

Extending her full support to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Sonia said, “He (Pranab) has done an excellent job of balancing the fiscal deficit through his Budget proposal. The hike in fuel prices is important to foster growth and development in the rural areas of the country.”

However, she maintained that the issue of containing food price rise continues to be the foremost priority of the government.

The UPA chairperson also came down heavily on the entire opposition for disrupting the proceeding in the Lok Sabha when Finance Minister was presenting the General Budget 2010 in the House.

“The Opposition’s disruption of the Parliamentary proceedings was not done in a good taste. When we sat in opposition we did not behave that way,” she said while urging the lawmakers to maintain the sanctity of the House.

The UPA chairperson made these remark while addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting at the party headquarter here. Sonia’s meeting with the Congress MPs comes after a gap of nearly six months.

Sonia Gandhi’s remarks come just two days after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh clearly ruled out any rollback in petrol and diesel prices, saying the economy has the capacity to absorb the increase without triggering inflationary pressure.

"Any increase in prices does hurt some people, but we have to take a long-term view," he had told reporters accompanying him on his way back home from Saudi Arabia.

Singh made it clear that following populist fiscal policies would only harm the economy in the long run. "We cannot save people from inflation if we follow all populist fiscal policies. Sooner or later these populist policies if persisted for a long time to come will lead to the erosion of the investment climate," he had said.

"The increase in the fuel prices, the direct effect on the Wholesale Price Index will be no more than 0.40 per cent," he had reassured.

First Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 18:06

Comments

karan - Pune
Who is Sonia Gandhi to support? Will she pay for us? Is she constitution of India? Now when media is silent on the raised rate, she gave her comment. Why didn`t she comment from the start?

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bharat tandon - mumbai
in last years budget congress gifted farmers with 45000 crores as GIFT so that they could win elections. Now they will collect 90000 crores every year from taxpayers to nullify that GIFT.
Indians do no think before voting. congress should use two hands symbol for elections one for giving & other for taking 2 times back from us.

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rajendra gulati - new delhi
Actually congress has given slogan congress ka haath aam aadmi ke saath, but now it become like that congress kaa saath aam aadmi ko laat.

Now election is not in consideration during budget . Congress has good number of seats in parliament and they are confident. But, they should not forget that the same confidence was with BJP during their rule and becuase of their immatured decisions and their unpopular work , people consider the party of rich. Congress Government is working on the same pattern , for voting they go to jhhugis, lower middle class people, rural people and after winning election they are demolishing their jhhugis , their dreams, and working only for corporate world. You may check the data that out of 55 to 55 voting percentage 40 to 45 percent voting was being done by the poor class , lower middle class people , but govt. prepare policy for upper middle class and for corporate world and giving continuous stimulous package for them and when it come to poor subsidy on LPG Cylender, Petrol, Kerosene , diesel then they show us statistics. Why a government is formed , it is formed for the welfare of all sections of society not for a particular section. Government is not meant for making profits ,it is the corporate world who is meant to make profit out of its establishments. If government is looking after the profit then i feel we must give the charge of government to corporate world they can make more profits.