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Rahul Gandhi budget speech 2008-09
Rahul Gandhi budget speech 2008-09

Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak in support of the

budget 2008-2009.

Each one of us is responsible for listening to the people of India and reflecting their

voices in this august house. It is therefore a privilege for me to put forth my views

here today.

1

Mr. Speaker Sir, there are two distinct voices among India's people today. The louder

of these voices comes from an India that is empowered, an India that has proven to

itself and to the world that it will shape the future. It is an India rich with opportunity

and talent, straining to be unleashed.

The other voice is yet to be empowered. It is not as loud, but reverberates across the

country. It is the voice of disenfranchised people reminding us that they too have

potential to fulfil. They too are enterprising, hardworking, and self-reliant, and they

ask only to be given an opportunity.

Some believe that the progress of these two India's is not just separable but mutually

exclusive. Some believe that India can shine only when we direct attention and

resources to those Indians who already soar, while ignoring the aspirations of the

disempowered. Others believe that the poor will progress only if we stifle our

nation's entrepreneurial energy.

Our government believes that India's growth can and must be symbiotic. The two

India's are fundamentally inseparable. Our philosophy is not to choose which India

to nurture, but to grow together.

M A R C H 1 3 , 2 0 0 8

2

There are two reasons for this view.

First, the poverty of our people is an assault on our principles. Freedom from

poverty is not a matter of charity or luck; it is a right. I am proud that under the

leadership of the Prime Minister, our government has recognized and institutionalized

this idea. The NREGA delivers employment as a right. The Tribal Act delivers

ownership of land as a right. The RTI Act delivers information as a right. The

Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill seeks to deliver basic minimums rights to those

being displaced.

Second, the speed and continuity of our economic growth depend on inclusion. A

small, resource-rich section of India cannot grow indefinitely while a vast,

disempowered nation looks on. If opportunity is limited to a few, our growth will be

a fraction of our capability as a nation.

Mr. Speaker Sir, permit me to give an example to illustrate why it is crucial to connect

these two India's:

On the one hand we have thousands of young Indians looking for jobs. On the other

we have a galloping industry with massive manpower demand. But we have invested

too little in developing the skills of our youth. This renders them unqualified to do

the jobs our industries require.

Indian enterprise will realize its full potential not by distancing itself from the poor,

but by fully connecting with their aspirations.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the true magnitude of our economic potential will only be realized

when the voices of the empowered and the aspiring speak as one. This is the core of

our aam aadmi' agenda.

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