Budget to stimulate growth despite difficult fiscal situ: Cong

Congress today said the interim budget would stimulate growth and make it inclusive despite a difficult fiscal situation and dismissed opposition criticism of policy paralysis.
Addressing the AICC briefing on the budget, Congress MP and a former Planning Commission member Balachandran Mungekar also rejected contentions of any "war for credit" within the party over government's decision accepting the long-standing demand for 'one-rank, one-pension' for armed forces and allocating Rs 500 crore for the fund.
"This interim budget is consistent with UPA's policy since it came in to power in 2004-05 of giving importance to stimulating rate of growth and making and making growth inclusive," he said.

Mungekar said the fiscal consideration also has been addressed in absolutely difficult situation.
He maintained opposition parties' argument that government suffered from the policy paralysis is "absolutely unacceptable" taking into account the domestic and the international constraints.
When told that Narendra Modi said this budget was extremely disappointing, Mungekar shot back "what more you can expect from Modi."

When told that a JD (U) leader has said that they give zero marks to this budget, Mungekar said the kind of democracy is yet to be born where the opposition parties have appreciated one good thing of a ruling party.
"Even a non-matricualte can fail a graduate," he quipped dismissing the question on JD(U)'s remarks as "not a relevant question".

To a question why the Finance Minister did not give credit to Rahul Gandhi over the decison on the One Rank One Pension, Mungekar said what is important is the net result.
"I do not think there is any misunderstanding in the mind of the Congress Vice President that the Finance Minister had tried to sully his suggestion. I don't think there is a tug of war between the Finance Minister and Rahul Gandhi. Both of them belong to the same political party...
"I don't think there is any discontent between the two. Let us welcome it rather than reading too much in that," Mungekar said.