This Article is From Aug 04, 2010

Am village boy, walked 10 km to school: Pranab to Opposition

Am village boy, walked 10 km to school: Pranab to Opposition
New Delhi: The usually even-tempered Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was today provoked into warning the Opposition lawmakers against ridiculing his sensitivity during a debate on inflation.

"I am from a village... I studied under a kerosene lamp till my 10th class... commuted to school by walking, in today's terminology, 10 km everyday. Don't ridicule my sensitivity," said Mukherjee with folded hands when the Opposition members claimed that the Centre was trying to blame the states for price rise.

Born in Mirati village in West Bengal's Birbhum district, Mukherjee sought to know what according to the Opposition was sensitivity - raising kerosene prices from Rs 2 a litre to Rs 9 per litre (during the NDA regime) or increasing the prices from Rs 9 a litre to Rs 12 per litre?

The UPA government in June raised prices of kerosene by Rs 3 a litre, cooking gas by Rs 35 a cylinder and diesel by Rs a litre, besides freeing petrol prices from government control that made the fuel costlier by Rs 3 a litre.

Mukherjee was replying to the discussion on the Motion on Inflationary pressure on the economy.

Earlier today, Pranab lost his cool in the Lok Sabha enraged over continuous protests by TDP and Shiv Sena members over the issue of construction of Babhli barrage in Maharashtra.

"The House cannot be held to ransom", said an agitated Pranab. He later apologised for the outburst.

TDP members led by Nama Nageshwara Rao trooped to the Well demanding Centre's intervention in the Babhli project.

Amid noisy scenes, Shiv Sena members, led by Deputy Leader Anandrao Adsul, displayed placards with slogans like 'Babhli wahin banayenge', while TDP members rushed to the Well accusing Maharashtra of defying Supreme Court guidelines at the Babhli barrage site in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

Opposition members, including Sushma Swaraj and her deputy Gopinath Munde tried to pacify Mukherjee who was visibly upset over the developments.
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