Budget: Left, right, left

The faultlines within the Congress Party are exposed as finance minister P. Chidambaram prepares to present the last full-fledged Union Budget of the second UPA government before the 16th general elections. There are sharp differences between the pro-liberalisation group and the left-wing faction in the incumbent government on the overall tenor and thrust of economic policies, i.e. between those who want to reduce the deficit and those who believe the government should be spending much more — especially on social sector schemes, including heathcare, education and to ensure food security.

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