The House will now take up General Discussion on Interim General Budget for the year 2009-2010, discussion and voting on Demands for Grants on Account (General) for the year 2009-2010 and discussion and voting on Supplementary Demands for Grants (General) 2008-2009. Sir, I rise to participate in the debate relating to the Interim General Budget presented by the hon. Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee for the year 2009-10. Before going into the merits of the Interim Budget, I felt a very senior politician and administrator like Shri Pranab Mukherjee, who presented a couple of Budgets 25 years back, has again come back and the entire country has hoping that he will come out with some solutions because in the last five years, the country has been facing an economic crisis, agricultural crisis, unprecedented inflation, price rise, and in the last few months we are reeling under economic recession. Therefore, the country was hoping that an experienced person like Shri Pranab Mukherjee will come out with some solutions to these challenges. There is gloom and despair all over. When there is gloom and despair, there may be a flickering of hope. But unfortunately, he has failed. His Interim Budget has failed to bring out the Indian economy from the depths of recession. If I want to use the cricketing terminology, analogy, I felt that Pranab ji has come as a night watchman of a crumbling innings, of a crumbling team. He has not presented the Budget here as the hon. Finance Minister. He has presented the Budget as the hon. External Affairs Minister and as also having the responsibility of being in-charge of the Union Government when the hon. Prime Minister is indisposed. But we also thought that it is an opportunity for him. It is an opportunity.
