Congress dares BJP to open debate on performance

The Congress on Friday asked 11 questions to the BJP on economy, agriculture crisis, migration of people due to slide in rupee, fall in export-import, internal security and dared the ruling party for an open debate on the two-year performance of the Modi government.

It also alleged that “vitriolic tirade” against the RBI governor by Subramanian Swamy has the “full backing” of the NDA government and the BJP.

Addressing a press conference, AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari said the number of stalled projects is highest since the Modi government took offi-ce. As of March 2016, there are 893 stalled projects which is an increase of 17 per cent since March 2014.

Growth of industrial production plunged to 0.1 per cent in March 2016 due to poor performance of manufacturing and mining sectors, coupled with a sharp decline in output of capital goods.

“This is the proof Make in India has been an abject flop — the babbar sher has been mewing.”

While the manufacturing sector declined by 1.2 per cent in March 2016 against a growth of 2.7 per cent in the same month a year ago, growth continued to elude the capital sector, which contracted by 9.8 per cent in February 2016.

“The two years of the Modi government have witnessed lowest rate of agriculture growth, indicating the poor state of India’s ‘annadata’,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress claimed that “vitriolic tirade” against RBI governor Raghuram Rajan by Subramanian Swamy has the “full backing” of the NDA government and BJP.

“The vitriolic tirade which is been carried out against the Mr Rajan has full and complete backing of not only the government, but the BJP and its fellow travellers,” Mr Tewari told reporters.

In reply to questions on the issue, Mr Tewari insisted that the “tirade” against Mr Rajan is the one aimed against the RBI and the way the governor was being targeted is a case of “classical fascism”.

“This is classical fascism at work that when you don’t have the courage to take a decision when somebody becomes inconvenient because of their independent stand then you allow people to run them into the ground and exercise the excuse of plausible deniability,” Mr Tewari said.

Asked about BJP chief Amit Shah’s sidestepping queries about Mr Swamy’s attack on Mr Rajan, he replied, “first of all you need to ask the President of BJP, is it not the government which nominated this particular individual who is carrying out the tirade

“Is he not a BJP member amenable to the discipline of the party ” he said.

Mr Tewari’s remarks came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the issue of reappointment of the RBI Governor was an administrative subject and it should not be an issue of interest of the media, in his first comments in the wake of continuing attack on the top economist in recent months. Rajan’s term is ending in September.

Asked whether Mr Rajan is a “good” Governor, Mr Tewari said the question is not whether the Governor is good or bad.

He said Mr Rajan was brought as RBI Governor who has a three-year term. “If the government was so troubled with him, they should have taken a decision when they came to power two years back”.

In reply to another question, Mr Tewari claimed that perhaps for the first time the integrity of economic numbers released by the government is under suspicion.

“No longer people rely on the numbers which are put out by the government...Fact is that notwithstanding whatever numbers the government may put out, they have managed to achieve the impossible that is sink and shrink the Indian economy in the past 2 years,” he added.