By IANS,
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi Tuesday advised Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee not to care if Left parties taunted him for “saffronisation” of the finance ministry by invoking the Hindu goddess of wealth Lakshmi in his budget speech.
“In Bengal, Left parties will oppose your budget speech by saying you are saffronising the finance ministry, just as they said I was saffonising the HRD (human resource development) ministry (during the National Democratic Alliance regime). But do not fear such taunts from them,” Joshi said, initiating the debate on the budget for 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha.
Noting that Mukerjee had prayed to Lakshmi in his budget speech, Joshi said the goddess will be of help only in giving directions to policy, as wealth, as per Indian mythology, was stored with Kuber.
“Wealth is not with Lakshmi. It is with Kuber. Lakshmi can only give blessings or directions to policy. Kuber has the wealth with him,” he said.
Also, with knowledge-based services driving the economy these days, wealth was with goddess Saraswati, the deity of knowledge, the BJP leader said.
“Now wealth comes through Saraswati. India is a knowledge-based society now. So money is made through Saraswati’s blessings these days,” he added.