Parliament Gallery

New Delhi, 2 February 2019

Budget Ignites Josh In NDA Parivar

By Sabina Inderjit

New Delhi, 1 February 2019 (INFA): The one take away from the Interim Budget presented by stand-in Finance Minister Piyush Goyal in the Lok Sabha that was striking from the Press Gallery above was: Josh (fervour or spark) reignited within the NDA parivar (family). The combination of pre-election offering with wonderful articulation had the Treasury benches thumping their desks like never before—harder and longer. The Budget speech obviously aimed at the critical vote bank -- middle class and farmers, seemed to have triggered a new found confidence among ministers and MPs, who after the loss in the recent Assembly elections, were somewhat anxious of the impending General election.

On the one hand, the renewed upbeat mood was admitted by a number of BJP MPs post the speech, and on the other the body language of their counterparts in the Opposition suggested it was indeed another ‘surgical strike.’ Odd though it may sound, but Piyush did what Rahul had done in July. Recall a zing among many a Congress MPs after Rahul’s speech during the no-confidence motion debate against the NDA government. They went up to him pleased like hell, shaking hands and kind of saying well done. Their new party president had raised hope of finally having come into his own and would be able to steer the Grand old party out of the morass.

However, that famous wink after a hug to Modi had unfortunately somewhat dampened the spirits and many in the Treasury benches had questioned his conduct in the House. Ironically, the Congress was today in a position to throw it back at the Treasury benches. Their MPs full-throated chanting of “Modi, Modi, Modi’ after the Income Tax sops were reeled out,  made the Lok Sabha look like being turned into an election rally maidan (ground), with its members the ardent cheer leaders. The sanctity of Parliament got lost in the chorus. But a minister sought to justify the conduct as it’s all about josh for the ensuing big battle.   

And the last Budget of the Modi government had to do the trick by setting out the election goals with a josh. Perhaps something what the film Uri did to the interim finance minister. Spelling out the concessions for the entertainment sector, the Indian film industry or better still Bollywood, he wondered whether his MP friends had seen it as he had. “Uri movie mein jo maza aaya. Jo Josh tha.”

Apparently, his well-delivered speech seemed to have even got the hidden script writer, if we may call Prime Minister Modi so, to thump his desk number of times and that too vigorously—a rare sight in the House. And at the end, Piyush sought to reach out to the aam janata. The government must be seen to be magnanimous and so he said: “All the transformation that we are witnessing is because of the passion of the people of our nation. The credit goes to them only. Development has become a mass-movement during the period of our Government.”

And then came the election pledge: “We will transform India into a leading nation of the world with the help of our people. We, along with them have laid the foundation. A grand edifice will be erected with their support. We have given a decisive leadership, whose intent is clear, policy is transparent and integrity is resolute.”

After he tabled his tabled the interim budget, Modi, the ministers and the MPs walked towards him, shook his hand and praised him with a job well done. Their enthusiasm was overflowing. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)