A day after former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha called P Chidambaram “a spoiler” of the Indian economy, the Union Finance Minister on Monday hits back saying “business is comfortable with UPA and BJP's brand of capitalism is crony capitalism.”
“Modi is associated with crony capitalists. Big businesses which are comfortable with the idea support him,” Chidambaram said at the AICC briefing where he also took the opportunity to take on Modi.
Chidambaram asserted, “The economy is far more stable and far stronger than it was 20 months ago.” He said the Government was hopeful of meeting major fiscal consolidation targets and the country's current account deficit is estimated to come down to $35 billion in the 2013-14 from a record high of $88 billion.
The Minister said the country's fiscal deficit would be around 4.6 per cent of the GDP as outlined by him in the 2013-14 interim Budget. In the wake of Sinha's 18 questions to Chidambaram on the state of economy, Chidambaram, who hung his boots this lok Sabha polls paving way for his son Karthi, remarked Yashwant Sinha is puerile.
“The two years that recorded the worst growth were 2000 and 2002. The Finance Minister of that time, Yashwant Sinha, is now a distant memory, and I hope it stays that way,” he said. Chidambaram also attacked Modi, saying there are “deep flaws” in his character and warned people against the “danger” from one individual taking over the party, Cabinet and Government. “There are deep flaws in his character. He cannot resist from making such provocative and derogatory remarks,” Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram's attack came close on the heels of Modi targeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi at an election rally in Assam and demanding that she come clean on who helped the two Italian marines get “safe passage” from the country after killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast.
“It is no longer BJP led by Modi. It is BJP supplanted by Modi. These are dangerous things that people of India must watch carefully. If party, democracy, republic, Cabinet, Government, everything is supplanted by one individual, then it is dangerous. I, me, mine (of Modi)....People have enough time to reflect,” said Chidambaram. Responding to questions on the SIT 'clean chit' to Modi in post-Godhra riots, Chidambaram said the SIT had limited mandate and did not have all the powers that the police have.