While the Delhi finance minister spelled out the money business, a pesky fly kept him company
While the Delhi finance minister spelled out the money business, a pesky fly kept him company
US President Barack Obama might have killed the fly during an interview last week, but our Delhi Finance Minister AK Walia, chose not to fell for the venus fly trap, troubling him while giving the budget speech on Monday. Instead he kept ducking the fly for over half-an-hour inside Vidhan Sabha premise.
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Fly'ing finance: Delhi Finance Minister A K Walia delivering budget speech at the Delhi Assembly in New Delhi on Monday. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit can also be seen in the picture u00a0PIC/IMTIYAZ KHAN |
As soon as the minister stood up to speak, a fly appeared from nowhere, and kept hovering around him, giving Walia a tough time. Each time he tried to dodge the obnoxious fly; it moved away for some time but didn't fail to come back and pester the minister over and over again.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
For the first few minutes, Walia tried to shoo away the fly with his bare hands but couldn't succeed for long. He took out his handkerchief to do the act but failed again. Bogged down by the efforts, he wiped his sweat by the handkerchief, just to do justice to it's purpose. The drama continued till the last minute of the minister's speech and the others present played a perfect witness to it.
During an interview at the White House last week with CNBC's John Harwood, Obama showed a pesky fly buzzing around him. When it persistently intruded on the conversation, Obama couldn't take it anymore and
yelled "Get out of here," to the fly. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then killed it in a smart smack-down with his bare hands.
But the Delhi Finance Minister, who did not even sip a glass of water during his speech, didn't kill the fly and kept on shooing it away.u00a0
Obama's fly-swipe has been replayed on television like a significant sporting feat and predictably has become an instant YouTube sensation.
The animal activist condemned the act of US President and Peta (a forum of animal activists) has now taken it upon itself to school the President.
It is sending Obama a custom-built Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher u2013 a device that allows users to trap a fly and then release it outside.
Cheap hotels...maybe
The government proposes to decrease the luxury tax on the city hotels from the present 12.5 per cent to 10 per cent. The finance minister made it clear that the revenue loss will be recovered from the enhanced tax on tobacco products.
However, the hoteliers are not happy.
"In all other states, the tax is not more than 5 per cent. The state government should further cut it down. In fact there is a need to restructure the taxes imposed on the hotel industry. The present proposal is being mooted keeping in view the Commonwealth Games next year," said JN Chawla, spokesperson for the Delhi Hotels and Restaurant Association.
Costly fagThe Delhi government proposes to increase the tax on cigarette, bidis and other tobacco products. A cigarette which costs Rs 10 now will come for Rs 10.67. The government expects to raise an additional revenue of Rs 70 crore from enhanced taxes.
