Security men muscled away a protester who heckled Indian Premier Manmohan Singh on Saturday as he was about to deliver a speech defending contentious reforms aimed at reviving a flagging economy.
The man, identified by state media as a Supreme Court lawyer, stripped down to his undershirt and trousers, stood on a table and shouted for the prime minister to “roll back” the liberalization measures at an international legal conference.
Security men pulled the protester away and one security officer placed a hand over the man’s mouth to muzzle his shouts as they removed him from the invitation-only event and detained him for questioning. The prime minister waited for the man to be taken out of the conference before delivering his speech, in which he said India needed the reforms to restore confidence in the economy and attract much-needed foreign investment.
Singh’s speech followed his televised pitch late Friday for public support for the slew of measures to further open up India’s still inward-looking economy that has cost his Congress government its majority. In Friday’s speech, the premier said he had acted in the national interest to stem “a loss of support in our economy” and asked for people’s “trust, understanding and your cooperation” to avert a financial crisis.
“Money does not grow on trees and that is why we have made these decisions,” said Singh, who turns 80 next week. “At times, we need to say ‘No’ to the easy option and say ‘Yes’ to the more difficult one.” The government last week unexpectedly revived long-delayed reforms to open up the retail, aviation and broadcasting sectors to more foreign investment and cut deficit-bloating fuel subsidies, after policy paralysis and graft scandals dimmed the outlook for India’s once-booming economy.
The moves, of which the boldest is a step to allow foreign supermarkets such as US giant Walmart to set up shop in India, have prompted nationwide protests and the exit of a key coalition ally.