NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that Budget-drafting under the Narendra Modi government is done after an exhaustive exercise of consultations with stakeholders, and that power brokers or lobbyists are not entertained anymore, unlike previously.
“You can say there is no excitement about the Budget proposals as it is drafted after a long process of consultations with the stakeholders. No space is left for anyone’s disappointment. PM Modi has effected a transparent system of policymaking and, as a result, influencers or brokers from the power corridors have disappeared,” the FM said in an interview with India TV.
She said that Opposition are used to expressing disappointment and there was nothing new about their utterances this time too.
Asked about Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s remarks like “useless” and “directionless” Budget, Sitharaman said that the Budget is a serious document not to create excitement but to cater to the needs of the people and address their issues. “Leaders should learn from the common man and express views after proper homework,” she said.
About Congress functionary P Chidambaram’s remark that the FM didn’t make mention of the poor even once in her speech, Sitharaman said, “What if Congress leaders used to mention it 100 times? Could they alleviate poverty? This is the habit of Congress that they talk about entitlements but deliver zero. On the other hand, the leadership of PM Modi believes in delivery to the last mile.”
“You can say there is no excitement about the Budget proposals as it is drafted after a long process of consultations with the stakeholders. No space is left for anyone’s disappointment. PM Modi has effected a transparent system of policymaking and, as a result, influencers or brokers from the power corridors have disappeared,” the FM said in an interview with India TV.
She said that Opposition are used to expressing disappointment and there was nothing new about their utterances this time too.
Asked about Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s remarks like “useless” and “directionless” Budget, Sitharaman said that the Budget is a serious document not to create excitement but to cater to the needs of the people and address their issues. “Leaders should learn from the common man and express views after proper homework,” she said.
About Congress functionary P Chidambaram’s remark that the FM didn’t make mention of the poor even once in her speech, Sitharaman said, “What if Congress leaders used to mention it 100 times? Could they alleviate poverty? This is the habit of Congress that they talk about entitlements but deliver zero. On the other hand, the leadership of PM Modi believes in delivery to the last mile.”
