Pranab responds to daughter's open letter

A collective Opposition failed to budge Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee from his stand over rolling back the hike in fuel prices. But this should not be construed as his failure to see reason.


Pranab Mukherjee is a reasonable man and has invited his daughter Sharmistha, who had conveyed her expectations from the general budget 2010 in an open letter through MiD DAY, to the negotiating table.

He also clarified that citizens play an important role in creating "ideal conditions for working of a democracy". Mukherjee told his daughter that she should not expect solutions to all problems "by just writing letters".

"The functioning of a democratic society is a collective responsibility of the government, the common citizen and the political leadership of the country. The state cannot function in isolation for creating an ideal society where kindness to animals and respect to fellow citizens would be a norm not imposed by state but out of genuine concern for others," the Finance Minister was quoted by a news agency as saying.

Sharmistha had asked her father to consider giving tax rebates to people who adopt stray dogs and impose taxes on people who litter roads. Mukherjee responded by asking his daughter to be more proactive in addressing these issues if she was really concerned about them.

On her demand for increasing her pocket money, he said, he was willing to look into the matter as long as she was willing to negotiate reasonably.

"We may arrive at a sum through mutual consent but only if you promise to rationally discuss the matter and not try to get your way through emotional blackmailing," he said.

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