Following the IMF’s lowering of India’s economic growth estimate, the Congress on Tuesday targeted the BJP Government with its senior leaders and former Union Ministers P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal taking a dig saying the IMF and its chief should be ready for being attacked by the BJP.
While Sibal launched a personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah saying they were a “drag on Indian democracy”, Chidambaram who servedas Finance Minister in Manmohan Singh Government, said that the NDA regime will now prove the IMF wrong and entire team NDA will foul mouth the world body and its chief economist, Gita Gopinath.
“IMF lowers India’s GDP for 2019 to 4.8%. Calls it a drag on the world economy,” Sibal said at AICC Press conference. “Protests of people, young and old, across India (who can’t be recognised by the clothes they wear) Reflect that the duo Modiji and Amit Shah are a drag on Indian Democracy,” the Congress leader added.
Sibal said the nationwide protests against the amended citizenship law reflected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were a “drag on Indian democracy”.
Ahead of the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, Gopinath had said growth in the country slowed sharply owing to stress in the non-bank financial sector and weak rural income growth. Chidambaram claimed an attack on the world body and its chief economist Gita Gopinath by government ministers was imminent. He also alleged that the growth figure of 4.8 per cent given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is after some “window dressing” and he won’t be surprised if it goes even lower.
“Reality check from IMF. Growth in 2019-20 will be BELOW 5 per cent at 4.8 per cent,” Chidambaram said in a series of tweets.
“Even the 4.8 per cent is after some window dressing. I will not be surprised if it goes even lower,” the former finance minister said.