Sending a strong message that she was fully behind the government on fuel price hike, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday praised Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for deft handling of the Union Budget.
"We have many essential social obligations and to meet them it is necessary to raise resources. I congratulate the finance minister for a fine and delicate balancing act, which has been widely welcomed," Gandhi told the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting. Gandhi made no mention of fuel prices or the Opposition demand for its rollback in her address.
At the same time, Gandhi said that checking food prices continues to be 'our foremost priority'.
Attacking the Opposition for its 'disruptive approach,' she said their conduct during the presentation of the budget was 'not in keeping with democratic norms and traditions'. Gandhi said that the inputs given by the finance ministers about the salient features of the budget to the party MPs will help them 'countering the opposition propaganda'.
Gandhi also sought to hold the states responsible for increasing food prices, saying they 'must ensure that public distribution system functions properly and that wherever necessary de-hoarding operations are carried out effectively'.
Listing the initiatives taken by the Centre to tackle the problem, Gandhi said, "Addressing the issue of food prices continues to be our foremost priority. We have responded to this pressing concern with all the resources at our command."
She also underlined the need for sustaining high economic growth for generating resources for social welfare programmes and inclusive long-term prosperity.
She prefaced the remarks by saying that the nine months in power for the second time were 'by no means easy'.
"We have faced many political and economic challenges. While some of them like the drought and the global economic crisis have tested us, we have come through and remained firm to our dedication and resolve," she said.
On the issue of Women Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, Gandhi said she personally attaches the 'highest importance' to the Bill.
Noting that late Rajiv Gandhi had first unveiled the vision of empowering women, she said it was a matter of pride that even though the bill has taken so long, 'it is our government that has cleared the legislation in Cabinet'.
She said March 8 was the centenary of International Women's Day and 'what a gift to the women of India if on this important day, this historic legislation is introduced and passed'.
Describing the right to food security as 'the most important pledge' in the Congress manifesto last year, Gandhi said, "We are now ready for the next step of placing the draft bill for discussion in the public domain."
She said over the last five years, the Congress led coalition has built a structure of legal entitlements for the aam admi starting with the Right to Information and Right to Work in United Progressive Alliance-I and followed by the Right to Education in the first few months of the UPAII.
Hailing several budget proposals, she said, "Social security fund for workers in unorganised sector has finally taken shape and will soon become operational. The expenditure emphasis on agriculture, rural development, infrastructure and social empowerment stands out boldly in the Budget."
On Left wing extremism, which Gandhi described as 'another major challenge', she said the government is committed to address it 'both from the development and law and order perspectives' in partnership with the affected states.
"Both have to go hand in hand. I am happy that our finance minister has provided adequate funds for an integrated action plan to combat this problem," she said.
While expressing sorrow at the terror attacks in Pune and in Kabul in which a number of Indians were killed, Gandhi said, "There are forces operating from both outside our country and from inside who are determined to destroy the bonds of social harmony that unite our people, and to thwart our economic progress.
"Our resolve to fight these forces remains firm, uncompromising and undiminished."