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Advani asks party MPs to keep off corporate wars

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: BJP leader L.K. Advani on Tuesday warned party MPs that they should stay away from corporate wars and not to become unwitting pawns and lobbyists for business houses. Recommending an orientation programme for them, Mr. Advani, at a parliamentary party meeting here, referred to the lack of ethical conduct on the part of several BJP members in the 14th Lok Sabha, leading to many being disqualified. He was referring to the cash-for-questions scandal and the disqualification of an MP in a human trafficking case.

Briefing reporters on the meeting, BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said Mr. Advani warned the MPs not to agree to ask questions at the instance of one corporate house or the other.

The Union budget was also discussed at the meeting. Arun Shourie (Rajya Sabha member) pointed out that the fringe benefit tax had not in fact been withdrawn, rather the onus of paying tax on fringe benefits now shifted from the employer to the employee.

He also questioned the announced increase of 144 per cent in the allocation for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. This was already announced in the interim budget, he said.

The BJP’s view was that no road map for development or disinvestment had been laid in the budget. It gave the impression that the government was procrastinating.

Separately, another party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu criticised the budget as being “escapist.” The actual fiscal deficit would be a lot higher than the accepted figure of 6.8 per cent. If hidden expenditure were to be added, the deficit would go up to a record 13 per cent, he said.

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