New Delhi, March 02: When Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented his Budget 2011-12, he would have certainly liked to have one person present in the House- Congress MP from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi. But that was not to be.
Rahul is said to have caught the Budget on television though. All set to attend Mukherjee’s third Budget for the UPA-II Government, Rahul was rendered ‘immobile’ because of a fractured leg.
Sources said that the fracture was detected late on day and a cast had to be put.
It is apparently on the medical advice that Rahul decided to give the session a miss. The injury is still quite fresh and he has been asked to take complete rest.
But would that mean he will skip the election tour, especially to Tamil Nadu where he is keen to campaign? Although that depends on the medical advice, sources said, they hoped that he would be in a better position in a week or two.
“Hopefully, he will regain mobility before that,” sources added.
However, his absence did spark of a whole lot of speculation. In his absence of his close associates, Jitendra Singh, said that they were indeed quite grateful that the Finance Minister had kept his promise and focused on the rural sector.
“It is a well-balanced Budget. Best part is the increase in Anganwadi wages, it was a long-pending issue. Also the weavers’ incentive will help.”
The last was a demand that Rahul Gandhi himself made, not just to the Finance Minister, but also to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
However, Rahul Gandhi himself neither commented nor rated Monday’s Budget.
–Agencies