Inflation bugbear awaits govt in Budget Session

With the central government facing flak over spiralling prices, the budget session of Parliament beginning February 23 is expected to be tumultuous as friends and foes have given hints of cornering the Manmohan Singh government.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar are likely to come under the scanner of the opposition and certain allies in the three-month long session, being held in the backdrop of record inflation since the coalition came to power in 2004.

With the price of onions bringing tears to the common man, it is to be seen how Chidambaram in his third budget tries to cheer the sentiment of the 'aam aadmi' amid expectations that the budget for FY08 would be a populist affair.

As the session is being held ahead of the crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh and after the exercise in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur, there has been a growing realisation in the ruling party that rising onion prices had trounced the BJP in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in 1998.

Incidentally, the poll outcome on February 27 in the three states will come a day ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget.

While the Railway Budget will be presented on February 26, the Economic Survey will be out the following day.