Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday held consultations with senior Congress leaders regarding the forthcoming budget during which several party members gave their suggestions on the ways to check price rise. Party sources said price rise and inflation emerged as one of the important issues of concern at the meeting which lasted almost two hours at the party office here. Party leaders also gave their suggestions concerning agriculture and industry.

The sources said the Congress had on several occasions earlier expressed its concern over the price rise while also pointing to the steps taken by the government to contain food inflation, and at Tuesday’s meeting the members gave their suggestions to bring further relief to common man.

They said that the ministers present at the meeting, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and Ambika Soni, did not speak. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also attended.

Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi later told reporters that Mukherjee in his brief remarks spoke about areas of concerns in the economy as also its plus points.

Describing it as an “informal meeting,” Dwivedi said 31 of the 50 party leaders present gave their suggestions. Some of the suggestions were given in writing.

The meeting was attended by members of the steering committee, general secretaries, spokespersons, secretaries, incharges of states, frontal organisation chiefs and office-bearers of the parliamentary party.

The budget will be presented in the Lok Sabha Feb 28.

Earlier Jan 19, the finance minister held a meeting with finance ministers of states and union territories to get their inputs for the budget 2011-12.