Our aim is to contain revenue deficit, says state finance minister

The state finance minister K Rosaiah on Wednesday said that it would be his biggest endeavour to contain, if not bring down the gap between revenues and expenditure in the ensuing annual budget.

He dropped enough hints that some measures like imposition of road cess were likely despite maintaining that he could not muster enough courage to impose fresh taxes.

Replying to queries in a media conference on Wednesday, Rosaiah agreed that all was not well with the state finances.

"Yes, we have problems. The only thing that I can say is that the situation has not reached the ICU stage," Rosaiah said.

He also expressed apprehensions that the revenue deficit projected by the previous TDP government in its 'vote-on-account' for the first four months of the current financial year could be actually much higher.

"Now I will have to see that at least the revenue gap would not grow beyond the current levels. I am still in the midst of the pre-budget exercise and I hope to achieve this aim," the finance minister said.

Rosaiah came down heavily on the objections and other utterances made by the Telugu Desam Party leaders with regard to the government's decision on the revival of Justice Somasekhara Commission, which was previously appointed by the Naidu government to inquire into infamous Yeleru Land acquisition scam.

Senior Telugu Desam leaders, including former major irrigation minister K Srihari demanded the appointment of another judge in place of Justice Somasekhara, while levelling some accusations against the previous one-man commission.

While snubbing the opposition party for accusing the judiciary, Rosaiah expressed his surprise over the TDP stand saying that nowhere in the past had an opposition party been particular about a judge's appointment, beyond asking for a judicial probe.

"Firstly, Justice Somasekhara Commission was appointed by the TDP government itself. Secondly, the commission was discontinued when it had almost finished its work. Thirdly, the state government in its best wisdom thought that any change in the commission would give scope for unnecessary suspicions besides dis-respect to the previous government's appointment," he said.

"It only shows their fear about the possible disclosure of skeletons from their cupboards," Rosaiah commented while saying that the Congress party's stand about nexus between former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the prime accused in the Yeleru Land Scam case Peela Poti Naidu was the sole reason for the discontinuance of the Somasekhara Commission.