hen Yashwant Sinha rose from his seat in Parliament House to present the first Union Budget of this century, everybody thought he would bite the bullet. After all, he had promised that it would be a harsh and bold Budget.
But instead of a bang, Budget 2000 has caused a whimper. Corporate chieftains, economist, politicians, and others have been quick to dismiss the finance minister's efforts as run-of-the-mill and lacklustre.
On the other hand, Sinha and his team are miffed that people have failed to read the fine print.
rediff.com presents exclusive reactions from some of India's well-known business and political personalities. In Real Audio.
D S Brar, CEO, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd
Where’s the pharma thrust?
Where are the targets?
Whatever happened to the Mergers and Acquisitions policy?
R Ramalinga Raju, Chairman, Satyam Computers
The acquisition limit is too small
Disappointment with the export tax
Virat Bhatia, MD, AT&T India
Overall impression of Budget 2000
Real challenges beyond the Budget
Will someone look into the lacunae please?
N R Narayanamurthy, Chairman, Infosys Technologies Ltd
What I think of Budget 2000
What will it do for mergers and acquisitions?
Hope on the customs front
Taxation of exports and dividends
Should we spend so much on defence?
Rahul Bajaj, Chairman, Bajaj Auto Ltd
Who is tackling the fiscal deficit
It is good to tax exports!
Whatever happened to "harsh decisions"?
