Due to political constraints, avoids 'dramatic announcements': Pranab

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that it was political constraints due to which he has abstained from taking any dramatic announcement in the budget for 2012-13.

Mukherjee told that neither he did nor he wants to attempt to have any dramatic announcement in the budget proposals because every budgetary proposal requires the approval of Parliament. He said he had to formulate the proposals within some constraints as the Congress did not have two-third majority in Parliament and that was why he had to keep in mind that he had to persuade other political parties for getting the proposals approved.

As hardcore political activists he cannot ignore this fact that after 1989 onwards, between 23 years in all subsequent elections held in India, not any single party came in power and it always repeated fractured mandate, he added.

He said it was due to this political constraint; there was a delay in implementation of reforms like the Goods and Services Tax (GST). If it is not implemented and goalposts have been shifted then I was not responsible for this. In fact problem is that Congress does not have full majority in LS or RS, he added. (With inputs from IANS)