Did Pranab inadvertently give Modi the perfect excuse for a Feb 1 Budget?

Modi could use the president's suggestion that the poor need immediate relief after demonetisation

President Pranab Mukherjee broke his silence last week and aired his views for the first time on the fallout of the Modi government’s unprecedented decision to invalidate 86% of India’s currency.  The president’s intervention was somewhat nuanced and parts of it could be read as a warning that the economic slowdown caused in the short-to-medium-term would impact vulnerable sections of the population that are very poor and may not be able to wait for the long-term gains that will percolate as a result of “cleaner growth” or from special programmes that will empower the people.

 In a way the president