There is by now an established template of reactions to the Union Budget which is drearily familiar to Indians. The government side is generous in the use of expressions such as ‘bold’, ‘pro-growth’ and ‘pro-people’ to describe the annual exercise. Conversely, the Opposition is never miserly in using terms such as ‘inflationary’, ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-poor’ to berate the Budget. When he was in the Opposition, Atal Bihari Vajpayee — who had the most fleeting of interest in matters to do with high finance — was known for his stock remark: ‘Garib ke pet me lat (kicking the poor in the gut)’.
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Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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There is by now an established template of reactions to the Union Budget which is drearily familiar to Indians. The government side is generous in the use of expressions such as ‘bold’, ‘pro-growth’ and ‘pro-people’ to describe the annual exercise. Conversely, the Opposition is never miserly in using terms such as ‘inflationary’, ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-poor’ to berate the Budget. When he was in the Opposition, Atal Bihari Vajpayee — who had the most fleeting of interest in matters to do with high finance — was known for his stock remark: ‘Garib ke pet me lat (kicking the poor in the gut)’. Read full opinion on TOI+ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author’s own. END OF ARTICLE