Delhi defeat will not slow down economic reforms: Jaitley

New Delhi, Feb 12:

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s unprecedented election defeat in Delhi will not put the government off its reform agenda, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday.

“The fact that four elections have been won, and one has not, is absolutely no ground for believing that there will be any slowdown on the path that we have taken,” Jaitley told reporters here after talks with US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party won over 96 percent of the mandate in the Delhi state election leaving the BJP with only 3 seats in the legislative assembly.

Saying that the country’s economy is now “poised to take off at a much faster pace”, Jaitley said the government is determined to continue economic reforms.

The next indications of the government’s intentions will come later this month when Jaitley presents the annual budget in parliament Feb 28. IANS