The Daily Indian

Charging that the budget had ignored the ‘aam aadmi’, Opposition today said the government failed miserably to address price rise and inflation that would bring down the economic growth rate.

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha (BJP), who initiated the debate on Budget in the Lok Sabha, said the government had forgotten about the common man, the poor and the rural population of the country and had announced measures that would benefit the rich.

“What I say may not be palatable to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, but there is nothing personal in it. The budget usually indicates economic challenges of the time and how to tide over them. But the budget speech makes no mention of price rise or inflation as a challenge that the country faces today,” Sinha said in his hour-long speech.
He noted that Mukherjee mentioned only achieving 9 per cent growth rate and marching into double-digit figures in the coming years, to make development more inclusive and removing bottlenecks in social welfare programmes as the challenges that the government would address in the coming fiscal.

“The only good news in the budget is that toy balloons have become cheaper. Now, a child wanting to reside in the Indira Awas that would get electricity under the Rajiv Gandhi Gram Vidhyutkaran programme will go to the cities using the Jawarharlal Nehru Rural road, but his mother would tell him there is no roti to feed him, but only toy balloons,” he said.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray today stressed that his party, which turned four, would not give up its Marathi agenda.

Hindi should not be forced upon the people, he said at a foundation day programme. “It is not a rashtra bhasha (national language). It is like any other language in the country,” he said.

He acknowledged the media attention he and his party had got, besides the support of party workers, was one of the major factors for its growth. Statements and criticism by the media had helped him shape the party, he said, thanking the media for driving home Marathi issues and publicising agitations the party had undertaken.

“Sitting alone at home yesterday, I was remembering the past. There were doubts whether anyone will follow me if I quit the Shiv Sena and after the 2007 Mumbai corporation elections, newspapers and the electronic media had written us off. There was one news article that stayed in my mind and propelled me to work for the party,” said Thackeray.

Through the last two years, during Thackeray’s arrest and agitations on the Marathi issue, his party and its activities have been in the media glare. “The Marathi people have put faith in us…our agitations and issues. I want to thank TV channels and newspapers as they conveyed to people across the state what we were saying, thereby motivating people to trust us.”

He also spoke on the women’s Bill, criticising Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh for their opposition. “We will support reservation of women. When Lalu went to jail, he made his wife the Chief Minister. How can he now oppose the reservation?”

Thackeray said he had sought an explanation from party MLA Shishir Shinde who was seen with Congress MLA Kripashankar Singh during Holi celebrations two weeks ago. “I too was surprised after seeing the visuals of the two together. I was told that Kripashankar had come to the same building to meet someone. He joined in the revelry and our party members were unaware. However, if a similar incident occurs again, I will remove that person from the party,” said Thackeray.

The MNS began a fortnight-long membership drive on Tuesday with Thackeray filling the first form.

Government’s move to go in for Women’s Reservation Bill today had its first fallout with the Samajwadi Party and the RJD announcing withdrawal of support to the coalition led by Congress.

The decision by SP, with 21 members in Lok Sabha, and RJD with four will, however, have no impact on the stability of the UPA government. The SP and the RJD were outside supporters of the government.
Angry SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad slammed the Congress for its move to “unilaterally” go ahead with the Bill which seeks 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

“This is a political dacoity. We will not tolerate it. We are withdrawing support to the government,” said Prasad with Yadav standing by his side and supporting him.

He later said, “We have withdrawn support on this issue”.

He, however, was evasive when asked whether a letter withdrawing support to the government had been given to the President.

Even if both SP and RJD formally withdraw support by giving letters to the President, the effective strength of UPA and its outside supporters would be around 290, well beyond the 272 mark for a simple majority.
Together the UPA parties — Congress (208), Trinamool Congress (19), DMK (18), NCP (9), National Conference (3) and Muslim League (2) — have a strength of 259.

However, with outside supporters like BSP (21), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (1) and JDS (3) its strength goes upto 284 in Lok Sabha. It also enjoys support of some independents in the Lower House taking the total strength to around 290. The Lok Sabha has a strength of 543.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Saturday criticised Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan for his ‘Mumbai belongs to all’ remark.

In an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, Thackeray said, “Governors are in decorative but dangerous posts. Saying that migrants will continue to come to Mumbai is akin to betrayal of Maharashtra.”

Sankaranarayanan in his interaction with the media personnel on Friday said, “Anybody can live in Mumbai. Only Mumbai can compete with itself. The rich, middle class and the poor co-exist here.”

Further charging the Governor for his anti-Mumbai remark, Thackeray said, “These rubber stamp white elephants have to be borne for years at taxpayers’ expense. They should not be sticking their noses anywhere.”

“Had Sankaranarayanan been the Governor of Karnataka, would he have dared to say let hordes of migrants come to Bengaluru,” added Thackeray.

The Shiv Sena leader had earlier lashed out at batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and industrialist Mukesh Ambani for lending their voices to the idea of outsiders coming and settling in Mumbai.

Playback singer Asha Bhonsle had last week said the Mumbai belongs to all irrespective of from where any person comes.

“Mumbai belongs to all of India,” said Bhonsle at a cultural programme organised by a Marathi TV channel on February 28 in Pune.

“No one can snatch the job of a man who works here (in Mumbai) from morning to evening. Our people (Maharashtrians) should also show the readiness to work hard,” she added.

Hitting out at the government, BJP today said it has scored a “double century” on price rise and questioned the “silence” of Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the “burning issue”.

Even the allies of the government has demanded roll back of fuel price hike, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu told reporters outside Parliament after the entire opposition got together and disrupted proceedings in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over the increase in prices of petrol and diesel.

However, asked about UPA allies’ support to the opposition stand, he said, “We have not approached any party for support and there is no politics involved in it.”

Hitting out at Gandhi, Naidu asked, “why is she silent on this burning issue? People want an answer. Though the people are suffering, the Congress President is not intervening.”

“Sachin Tendulkar hit a double century recently and Manmohan Singh government too has scored a double century on the price rise situation in a wrong way,” he said.
“People want roll back in (fuel) price hike,” Naidu said.

BJP ally Janata Dal (United), meanwhile, vowed to take the battle against price rise to the streets in close coordination with other like-minded parties.

“Our fight against price rise will continue and we will now take the battle to the streets,” JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said adding, “all opposition parties are united on the issue and we are also trying to have close coordination with them to intensify the agitation.

Demanding roll back of petroleum products prices hiked by the UPA government, BJP today said about 10 lakh party workers would seige Parliament on April 21, protesting against spiralling prices of essential commodities in the country.

“The party would organise a historic rally at Delhi on April 21 against the price rise in which 10 lakh party activists across the country would participate to seige the parliament,” BJP national official spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

“It was the unholy relation between the Congress and market speculators which resulted in skyrocketing prices of essential commodities as the ruling party has given full freedom to hoarders to loot the people after the general elections,” he said.

On the issue of price rise of petrol and diesel, 300 out of 542 MPs have opposed the move of the UPA government in the Parliament, Javadekar claimed.

As part of nation-wide agitation launched by BJP in protest against the price rise of foodgrains, the party would submit a representation to President Pratibha Patil on rally day urging her to direct the UPA govrenment to take steps to control the prices, Javadekar said.

The party would also collect five crore signatures of the common man across the country in protest against the government failure in controlling the prices, the BJP leader said.

Javadekar, who is also state party affairs in-charge, attended the state office bearers meeting here which discussed on various issue including agitational programmes.

As part of signature campaign, the state unit of Andhra Pradesh would collect 25 lakh signatures till March 30, he said.

UPA ally DMK today demanded an immediate rollback of fuel price hike, saying it would have a ‘cascading effect’ on food prices at a time when the Centre and states were ‘grappling with high food inflation.’

In identical letters to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sought their immediate intervention for a rollback, at least on the price of diesel to ‘protect farmers and the common man.’

He said he wanted to draw their attention to the ‘far reaching implications’ of the hike.

“You are fully aware that the Centre and the states are grappling with the issue of high food inflation in recent months,” the Chief Minister said “Any increase in the price of diesel will have a cascading effect on food prices as well as prices of other essential commodities.

Therefore, I seek your immediate intervention for a rollback atleast on the price of diesel so as to protect the farmers and the common man”.

DMK, on previous occasions had opposed fuel price hike, with party’s senior leader and MP T R Baalu protesting against it in Parliament last year.

The budgetary proposal on hike in central excise duty on petrol and diesel and all non-petroleum products has already sparked a demand for a rollback from another UPA ally, the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee.

“Dada and Didi have failed the people.” This was how RJD chief Lalu Prasad vented his ire against the general and railway budgets in his inimitable style.

“Dada and Didi have failed the people. Both are concerned only about West Bengal. The county had seen Didi a few days back. Today it also saw Dada.
“Both are only concerned about Kolkata (West Bengal).

They did not do anything for Bihar, which was neglected in both budgets,” the former Railway Minister, whose party also staged a walkout in protest against proposed duties related to petroleum products, told reporters outside Parliament.

Prasad said a “government which cannot check price is incompetent and an incompetent government has to be changed.”

Prasad, whose party is extending outside support to the government, said that the Government did not take any political party into confidence before presenting the budget.
Asked why he is opposing the proposals of a government which he is supporting from outside, Prasad said: “What do I do. They are increasing prices.”

MNS chief Raj Thackeray today surrendered before a court here in connection with four cases of rioting registered against him in 2008, and was later released on bail.

Raj presented himself in the court of Judicial Magistrate, First Class, in Gangapur area here in Central Maharashtra. The court released him on a bail of Rs 15,000 in all the four cases.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Sayaji Nagare.

The MNS leader was arrested on October 21, 2008 in Ratnagiri for the anti-North Indian agitation launched by his party. Following his arrest, riots broke out in Mumbai and various parts of Maharashtra and several cases were registered against Raj and his supporters.

In the cases registered at Gangapur, Raj has been booked under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongfully restraining persons), 336 (rash and negligent act endangering life of others), 427 (mischief) and 109 (abetment). On February 22, Raj had surrendered in a court in Jalgaon, North Maharashtra, in another case of rioting and was released on bail.

Former Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh will lead an anti-price rise demonstration here Thursday instead of party chief Nitin Gadkari, officials said.

Gadkari, who was earlier scheduled to spearhead the demonstration, cancelled his visit as he has another programme lined up in Jammu.

‘Gadkari-ji had to cancel his participation in tomorrow’s (Thursday) demonstration here essentially because of an engagement in Jammu; but Rajnath-ji will lead the show,’ BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told a press conference here Wednesday evening.

This is the second time within a fortnight that Gadkari’s visit to Lucknow was cancelled at the eleventh hour. Earlier, he was scheduled to visit the Uttar Pradesh capital Feb 15 to attend the wedding of former state BJP president Kalraj Misra’s son.

But there was a sudden change in his programme on account of the German Bakery blast in Pune.

Blaming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre and the Mayawati regime here for the ‘unprecedented price rise’, Naqvi said: ‘UPA and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were not only hand in glove, but were also fully responsible for the rise in prices of essential commodities which were touching the skies.’

‘Our aim is to not only voice our protest against the failure of both governments to check the rising price-line, but to also expose their nexus with hoarders and black-marketers, who are having a field day,’ he added.