New Delhi ,March 4: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday praised finance minister Pranab Mukherjee for his deft handling of the Union Budget while asking party MPs to counter the Opposition’s “propaganda” on it. She also sent a strong message that she was fully behind the government on the fuel price hike.

“Pranabji has already briefed you about the salient features of the Budget and on the various new initiatives that have been launched. I am sure this input will help you in countering the Opposition’s propaganda. 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,” Mrs Gandhi told the general body meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
Though her address did not mention fuel prices or the Opposition’s demand that it be rolled back. her thrust was on party MPs putting things in the right perspective. Saying that the past nine months have not been easy, she said, “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 remain firm on our dedication and resolve,” she said.
Conceding that the issue of food prices continues to be our foremost priority, she said, “We have responded to this pressing concern with all the resources at our command. Despite the fact that this was a crisis born of circumstances outside our control, the government has put in place proactive policies to mitigate the hardships of the people. The food price inflation detracts from the UPA’s outstanding accomplishment in sustaining high economic growth, which is so essential for generating resources for social welfare programmes and inclusive long-term prosperity,” Mrs Gandhi said.

Age Correspondent