An ardent fan of Urdu poetry, Punjab's Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today invoked the renowned poet Allama Iqbal, Greek philosopher Socrates and legendary martyr Bhagat Singh during the course of his budget speech in the state Assembly here today.
He also said that the budget he was presenting was dedicated to the 99 percent of the people, whose issues the richest "one percent" did not seem to understand.
The 53-year-old finance minister used poetry and philosophy to bolster his analysis and arguments on the state's fiscal health and what the Capt Amarinder Singh led Congress government intends to do to take the state on a higher growth trajectory.
Manpreet, the estranged nephew of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, presented the Congress government's maiden budget today.
He had earlier also served as finance minister in the erstwhile SAD-BJP government in 2007-12 before he quit the party.
Manpreet had later on floated his own party, which he eventually merged with the Congress.
In the assembly, the finance minister said that courageous Punjabis would bring the state out of dire financial straits.
"In ancient Greece, Socrates had to consume hemlock to shake the Greek people out of their stupor. Nearly a century ago, Shaheed Bhagat Singh kissed martyrdom at a tender age as he wanted to shake the conscience of the people. The government of Capt Amarinder Singh finds inspiration in them and wants to stir the people of Punjab," the finance minister said.
He then moved to lines written by Urdu poet Allama Iqbal.
"Pirona ek hee tasbi mein en bikhrey huye dano ka; gar mushkal hai toh is mushkal ko aasan karke chhodunga; dikha dunga jahan ko jo meri aakhon ne dekha hai, tujhey bhee ae surte aaina, hairan kar ke chhodunga."
(Stringing these scattered beads in one rosary is difficult though, surmounting odds I will ease it out; Will show to the world what my eyes have seen; O mirror to my face, I will leave you dazzled too.)
He then recited another couplet from another unnamed poet also.
Badal said that the top one per cent have the best houses, the best education, the best doctors and the best lifestyles, but they did not seem to understand that their fate is bound up with the other 99 per cent.
"My budget is dedicated to those 99 per cent," he said.
Winding up his budget speech, he said, "By dreaming, flowers do not bloom in the desert. Mere hopes do not result in rivers of milk and honey. The road to prosperity is laden with sacrifice and hard work.
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