Jammu, Mar 15: Terming the annual budget presented by the coalition government as “unrealistic” and “directionless,” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA from Shangus constituency Peerzada Mansoor today described Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather “As a cricketer who is at the verge of retirement but wants to take a risk to play another innings.”
 Participating in the discussion on Budget in the state Legislative Assembly, here today, Mansoor said that it was for the first time he had seen government advertising its own budgets through print and electronic media. “When I saw the advertisements in local newspapers only thing I noticed was your personal achievement,” he said.
 Asserting that there was nothing in the Budget which could be construed as having been done for the welfare of the people and state the MLA said, “It seems you as a Finance Minister are either tired of this particular job or you have some political compulsions”.
 “What we gauge from the budget document is that you are like a cricketer who wants to retire but has taken a risk to play another inning so as to set a record or score a century,” the MLA said while pointing towards the FM.
 Taking a dig at the coalition government to trying to cash every good work done by the previous government, Mansoor said, “You are hesitating to speak truth or you think people are fool to digest your claims.”
 Referring to the recent statement of former deputy chief minister and senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig in the House, he said, “We are not shying away from accepting what has been achieved by the governments headed Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Dr Farooq Abdullah but what are you doing is evident from the budget document”.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST