Fuel prices will be raised a day after election results, says P Chidambaram

'A finance minister under Manmohan Singh would in 2022-23 have crafted a Budget emphasising the three Ws - work, welfare and wealth', he said

Former finance minister P Chidambaram tells Indivjal Dhasmana that the government has contained the petroleum prices due to the forthcoming assembly elections. But cutting the petroleum subsidy gives a signal that prices will rise and such signals were given by cuts in fertiliser and food subsidies too, he says. Edited excerpts:

The Budget’s focus is on capex-led economic recovery. What is your take on this strategy in the context of the economy struggling to come out of the Covid-induced slowdown?
 

Our problem is not lack of capital. Our problem is lack of jobs. In India, unemployment is at a very