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Tuesday, Feb 17, 2009
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National

A veiled poll speech in matter-of-fact presentation

Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: Without once playing to the gallery and rarely borrowing a quote to enhance his speech, the all-weather man of the United Progressive Alliance delivered a thinly veiled election speech in the garb of the ‘interim budget 2009-2010’ on Monday.

Ever mindful of the rulebook, Pranab Mukherjee measured his words and flagged the government’s successes in such a matter-of-fact manner that he virtually had an uninterrupted run except for a brief adjournment of proceedings in the Lok Sabha when Janata Dal (Secular) member M.P. Veerendra Kumar was taken ill.

That the House did not expect anything much from the interim budget was evident from the thin attendance. Normally, the budget day has MPs jostling for space, but Monday morning saw just about 150 members. And, Mr. Mukherjee’s style — studiously focussed on the text before him and rarely glancing at the House, be it the Opposition benches or his own party leader Sonia Gandhi — lulled the usual hecklers into further indifference.

If he managed to evoke some reaction, it was only towards the fag end when — elaborating on India’s success at dismantling the nuclear apartheid regime — the Minister said: “For all this and more, I would like to express my deep gratitude to UPA partners and supporters who walked the extra mile with us in this journey.”

While this drew some remarks from the Left benches, a collective murmur of protest rose from BJP members when Mr. Mukherjee referred to the upcoming elections and how the masses had repeatedly shown that they could be relied upon to make sound decisions to secure the nation’s future.

Helping ‘hand’

Stating the aam aadmi had seen how the government “successfully steered the country through difficult times,” he added: “I have no doubt that when the time comes, our people will recognise the hand that made it all possible… the hand that alone can help our nation on the road to peace and prosperity.” The reference to the Congress symbol was too obvious and the BJP was prompt in protesting. But, by then Mr. Mukherjee had had his say as he commended the budget to the House.

In between, the discomfort shown by Mr. Veerendra Kumar forced Mr. Mukherjee to put an abrupt stop to his speech as members, including Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, rushed to the Kerala MP’s help. Though a stretcher was called in, he recovered enough to walk out on his own. (A PTI report said the condition of the MP, who was admitted to the RML, is stable and he is likely to be discharged on Tuesday.)

Toffee break

As Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had already called for a 10-minute adjournment, Mr. Mukherjee made use of the break to quickly nibble at a chocolate.

His “toffee break” brought a smile to all those who witnessed that fleeting moment of weakness in a man whose diminutive frame belies his stern reputation typical of a professor that he originally was. And, the professor was in evidence even as he presented a budget after 25 years; cutting out the task for whoever takes charge of the budget some months down the line.

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