BJP slams PM, reform hope thrills industry

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertions that the India growth story is intact and the government will control fiscal deficit, attract investments and open up new avenues for savings have evoked conflicting responses from the Opposition and industry.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertions that the India growth story is intact and the government will control fiscal deficit, attract investments and open up new avenues for savings have evoked conflicting responses from the Opposition and industry.

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While industry chambers welcomed Singh's statements in an HT exclusive on Thursday, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha accused him of shifting the blame for the UPA's economic failure on the NDA and, obliquely, on former FM Pranab Mukherjee, too.

He said the PM was supposed to approve each word of the budget speech.

"Was Mukherjee so independent that he prepared the budget without consulting the PM?"

"The economic content of the interview was weak, showing an overrated economist, and the attempt at shifting the blame on the NDA showed an underrated politician."

FICCI president RV Kanoria, however, said, "The PM's resolve… will surely go a long way in erasing the impression that there is a policy paralysis."

The CII said this was the first step towards addressing the challenges faced by the economy.

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