Decoding Lok Sabha's budget mood

When the pepper sprayed Lok Sabha met for the first time after the last week’s historical parliamentary drama, security had been tightened. But the anti-Telangana members of Parliament did not give up. Some five of them including Union minister K Chiranjeevi and D Purandhareswari were standing in the well of the house even when Finance Minister P Chidambaram started reading the last budget speech of the decade long UPA rule.

 

Speaker Meira Kumar, who among others bore the brunt of pepper spray attack by L Raja Gopal, Congress MP and Lanco group founder promoter, on Thursday kept saying nothing will go on record, reminding members that this was the last few days of Fifteenth Lok Sabha and the minister be allowed to perform “an important constitutional duty”.  

 

 

Some ten minutes past 11 am, the finance minister was being advised to table the speech, a standard parliamentary practice of treating a document as read by its mere laying on the table of the house. Just last Wednesday, railway minister Mallikarjun Khare had to cut short his speech within minutes of his invoking Ghalib to say he was saying only the truth. Forced to table his maiden speech, without being read in full, Khare missed the opportunity of being man of  the day. But Chidambaram, an able lawyer and a veteran at speaking amidst din, could be heard insisting he wanted to read the full speech. “How can I do this...I will read it.”

 

As Chidambaram spoke about the 10 highest risks from a list of 31 in the Global Risks 2014 report, and the twin deficits facing the economy, he had twin challenges in the house, too--a Seemandhra MP continuously protesting Andhra Reorganisation Bill, and Bwiswmuthiary Sansuma Khunggur of Bodoland Peoples Front holding a parallel agitation. In midst of these protests, a third front opened up, too, with members from Tamil Nadu walking down to the well of the house protesting service tax on rice storage.

 

With absolutely no concern to the three-way protest, Chidambaram moved on to make some populist announcements. And, just when the former allies from the Trinamool Congress heard the minister talking about moratorium on education loan, they came into the well too, seeking a moratorium on repayment of Central loan to West Bengal. Some half a dozen of them including former minister of state for health Sudip Bandyopadhyay started shouting slogans.

 

“Bengal Hungry” and “UPA government financial blockage” placards pushed back “Save Andhra Pradesh” ones even as Khunggur from Assam did not give up. But Chidambaram too did not give up. The interim budget speech, in fact, was more than just a financial document. Quite uncharacteristically, he threw barbs at the opposition by showing his allegiance to Jawaharlal Nehru and quoting Sunil Khilani on the values of democracy, religious tolerance, economic development and cultural pluralism. “I am sure, the people of India will entrust the responsibility to a hand that will hold 'the sceptre swayed with equity',” said Chidambaram ending his hour-long speech with his favourite sage Thiruvalluvar’s couplet.