Govt, Oppn must work jointly for India growth : Pranab

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday that it was time for the government and opposition to work together to ensure that India remained the top destination for investment. He admitted the downgrading of US credit rating was likely to impact the IT sector. “This is the time. Others will take time to come out of the crisis,” Mukherjee said, as he referred to a headline in a news magazine which said, “Goodbye India, Welcome World’’. “It is up to us now to change it,’’ he said, adding that there were several important economic legislations pending before Parliament. “How will it happen if the Parliament cannot function? A new practice of disruption has developed. I have spent 40 years in parliamentary democracy but not once have I seen a complete session being wiped off,’’ he said referring to the winter session last year. When Opposition MPs interrupted him demanding an assurance from him that Congress would not do the same, Mukherjee said it did not absolve BJP of its responsibility. “We did not do a good job but it does not matter. You claim to be the party with a difference,’’ he said. Also after days , both Houses were able to conduct their question hours without any disturbance. A legislation that allows the government full control of subsidiary banks of the SBI from the RBI was passed in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha also passed the Coinage Bill, 2009, that seeks to consolidate at least four laws pertaining to coins and mints.