This is of course an inescapable demand of the national exchequer, and it has also to be taken note of. But that is not the primary concern. The more important or the primary concern should be the direction in which we want to take our economy. That should be the general approach. And Sir, in this budget I would like to make a humble claim, though I have not completely succeeded in that--that we have certainly taken some steps to go in the desired direction. If he reads the very next paragraph, I have been very frank enough to acknowledge the limitations and I have said there: “It is hardly possible to claim” — and I have not made that claim -- “It is hardly possible to claim that a new social and economic order can be ushered in through budgetary policy alone, much less through a single Budget. In a Budget of this magnitude it is also difficult to reconcile all the objectives we have set before ourselves.” I do not say that this Budget has brought about socialism. It would, be too tall a claim to make, and I am not making that claim, but my main point is that socialism is an objective which will have to be achieved through a series of policy decisions and their implementation. It cannot be done only through the fiscal policies. But Budget also is an instrument, a very powerful instrument which certainly can help us to achieve some of the objectives, and I would like to claim here that we have made a very serious attempt to go in the desired directions. I entirely agree with one point that Mr. Goray has made, namely, what is the use of saying that we would attack the poverty in this country and remove it from this country if you allow personal wealth to be accumulated. And I must say it is a very, very valid point. You cannot on one hand say that there is disparity and at the same time say that you would like to allow wealth to be accumulated. He has made that point and let me say at the very outset that I am entirely one with him.
I have myself devoted a couple of paragraphs in my speech to that point and said that, as far as the rural rich are concerned, there are some Constitutional limitations, and I have myself admitted that there is no doubt that if at all we have to make an attack on the problem of disparity, we will have to equally rope in the rich in the rural areas also for the same treatment that we are thinking of for the rich in the urban areas. I have no doubt in my mind about it.
At the same time let me tell Mr. Goray that it has become a fashion to say that our party is a party of Kulaks. I mean, these are some of the cliches that we are borrowing from some other countries. I know that there is certain exhibitionism of wealth in rural areas. There are some such people, I do admit that. But to say that the entire rural area of India only consists of Kulaks is, to say the least, not a fact. The massive mandate we got from the people, was from both, the poor people in the urban areas and the poor people in the rural area. How do you say then that this is a party of Kulaks? There may be some kulaks and the kulaks may be found in any party. For instance, I can find kulaks in his party also. So it is not correct when he says that our party is a party of kulaks. It is merely using some sort of a cliche which I did not expect from Mr. Goray, because I know he tried to be very rational and logical in his criticism. I am prepared to take the same criteria which Shri Goray referred and examined what exactly we have done so far and we have not been able to do sufficiently well. I quite agree that this Budget has not been able to touch the rich in the agricultural areas as it should have. But it is very difficult for me to do that. There are certain Constitutional limitations. I have mentioned them and I have also assured the House that we would like to start an attempt in this direction. We would like to discuss such questions with the States. Now we are told that we should have done this. And when the question of the States’ autonomy comes, there also Hon. Members stand up and say that in this country the States must have full autonomy to go ahead according to their own lights. And certainly I do understand these aspirations of the States also though I do not agree with the extreme views.
