New Delhi, February 28
The BJP president Mr Venkaiah Naidu today indicated that the party would seek a withdrawal in the hike of urea and fertiliser prices during discussion on the Union Budget in Parliament.
Mr Naidu said that he had spoken to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the issue. He said several BJP MPs had also sought a withdrawal in the hike in fertiliser prices. The Opposition parties today severely criticised the hike.
Describing the Union Budget as “growth-oriented, innovative and people-friendly,’’ he said that lower growth rate had to be viewed in the context of calamities like drought in 17 states, unprecedented increase in oil prices, global recession and the considerable burden on account of deployment of troops on the border.
Mr Naidu said priority areas like infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, textiles and tourism had been given a considerable thrust. He said the Finance Minister had taken a holistic view of the fiscal situation of the country and had adopted an innovative method to swap debt from high-cost borrowing to low-cost borrowing which would reduce the burden on the states.
Mr Naidu said the Finance Minister had taken care of the problems of senior citizens, pensioners, middle-class and the people in the unorganised sector.
The BJP chief said that while infrastructure bottlenecks were being tackled on a war footing by an additional investment of Rs 60,000 crore in the new road projects, several new schemes had been introduced for the modernisation of agriculture and value addition. He said that there was an additional expenditure of Rs 27,000 crore on food subsidies and the extension of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana to cover additional 50 lakh families would benefit the agriculture sector.
Mr Naidu said the party was delighted at the various measures to tone up the capital market.
The Opposition parties termed the Budget as “anti-farmer and anti-poor’’ and said the government had failed to spell out schemes to rejuvenate the economy and generate employment.
The ruling party’s allies like the Trinamool Congress and the Telugu Desam Party, however, contended that it was a “tolerably good Budget.’’ The TDP MP Mr B. Ramiah, hailed the measures in the Budget proposals to give a boost to drip irrigation and horticulture. However, Samata Party leader Prabhunath Singh said that the Budget was anti-farmer and focused only on items of luxury. The Budget had failed to maintain regional balance, he said.
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has sought a roll back in the hike in the prices of urea and fertilisers. Senior INLD leader Ajay Singh Chuatala demanded a rollback on the proposed additional excise duty on diesel and prices of fertiliser of urea and DAP.
Mr Somnath Chatterjee (CPM) charged the government with looking for soft options instead of taking headon the problems confronting the economy like unemployment. Concessions offered to industries was aimed at attracting foreign direct investment while no thought had been given to the ailing domestic industry, he said.
Mr Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party) flayed the government for its failure to assist the sugar industry and the edible oil industry.
Mr Rashid Alvi (Bahujan Samaj Party) said some of the concessions given in telecommunication and textiles were intended to benefit a Mumbai-based textile major. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav described the Budget as “anti-poor and anti-kisan.’’ The Left parties said that Budget was aimed at wooing the middle class and corporate houses in view of coming elections.
CPI national secretary Atul Kumar Anjan said the fiscal deficit was bigger than the current growth for 4.4 per cent.
