Brief comment on Budget by Shri L.K. Advani,
Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha

The UPA lost Bihar on the issue of Bijli Sadak Pani (BSP).

The Congress has lost Punjab and Uttarakhand on the issue of Dal-Sabzi-Pyaz (DSP).

There was a news item this morning reporting that the Left Allies had cautioned the Congress: "You have lost two States; but don't lose the lessons of this setback."

The budget presented to Parliament today shows that Congress refuses to learn any lesson.

At a time when the common man feels deeply distressed about the high cost of his daily meals, it was astounding to hear the Finance Minister exult about the "good news for cat and dog lovers", and announce that the duty on pet foods had been reduced from 30 per cent to 20 per cent!

This government's mandate was: relief for the aam aadmi and kisan. Today's budget is a total betrayal of this mandate.