New Delhi:
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday made light of the controversy generated by his announcement in the budget reducing the import duty on pet food and told his critics: "I pray they have a sense of humour."
The 10 per cent reduction in the duty has been derided by some in the Opposition and Left parties, who said that the Minister had shown concern for dogs and cats, but ignored the plight of the poor.
"I can only say that if I had left it buried in the customs tariff schedule, nobody would have noticed. But if I mention it in the budget, I assume that everybody has a sense of humour. I realise now that I am wrong." Asked if he was a pet lover, he said: "Well, we always had dogs in our house." — PTI
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