New Delhi, April 25
Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha is set to roll back several of the unpopular measures announced in the Union Budget for 2002-03.

With the Finance Bill slated to be passed on April 30, the Bharatiya Janata Party has mounted pressure on the government to roll back the unpopular measures and it is understood that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has agreed to some of the demands.

The rollback may relate to income tax concessions, fertiliser prices and subsidies on petroleum products like cooking gas and kerosene.

The Prime Minister had a detailed meeting with the Finance Minister here yesterday and discussed the relief that could be provided to the salaried class, the traditional vote base of the BJP.

Mr Vajpayee’s meeting with the Finance Minister came in the backdrop of about 70 members of the BJP calling on Mr Sinha to demand income tax rebate for the salaried class, increase in interest rate on small savings, removal of tax at the hands of dividend earners and roll back of excise duty on certain small-scale sector items.

The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, it is understood, are contemplating a partial rollback of the measures.

This includes restoring the 20 per cent income tax rebate on savings for income between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. Mr Sinha had in the budget reduced the rebate to 10 per cent for this class and had abolished concessions for income earners above Rs 5 lakh.

Among the other demands of the BJP MPs is that the government lift the freeze on Leave Travel Allowance to Central Government employees.

While the BJP MPs are of the view that political considerations should not be overlooked in financial management, Mr Sinha has pleaded that the fiscal situation of the country is in a mess and one needs to tighten the belt.

The Budget proposals have been blamed for the poll debacle of the BJP in Delhi, a traditional stronghold of the party.