Kolkata: President Pranab Mukherjee did on Saturday what men in the highest office seldom do. Addressing the Bengal Chamber of Commerce (BCC), he kept aside his written speech to make observation on the Indian economy, but one which sounded like a clarification of the steps he had taken during his stint as Union Finance Minister.
At the outset, Mukherjee pointed out he was breaking with convention, since Presidents normally do not address AGMs of business bodies. Pranab, said he had made an exception because of his 'love' for Kolkata and the BCC, the oldest business body in the country. 'The President does not have the privilege to air his views. The president of India is not a policymaker; but I will take this opportunity to air some of my observations about eh Indian economy,' he said. Without naming anyone, he said, 'In 2008-09, the GDP growth came down, and then there was improvement in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Now again there is a slump,' he said, adding that the world economy is yet to fully recover from the downturn. (Ref: TOI, Goa Edition, dated Sunday, 15, 2013, page 8.)
