Opposition on Thursday came down heavily on Finance Minister P Chidambaram for blaming his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee for the ills facing the economy and told the Government to get out if it cannot rescue the country from the “irretrievable situation created by its incompetence and corruption”.
Initiating a discussion in the lok Sabha on the Supplementary Demands for Grants, BJP leader Ananth Kumar termed Chidambaram as “anartha shastri” (expert in creating chaos) and held him responsible for the current economic mess.
“If they are not capable of leading...Govern or get out....The people’s dreams of a robust and prosperous economy has been ruined by the incompetence and corruption of this Government. Chidambaram owes an explanation to the country for his comments. ... People have now started calling him ‘anartha shastri’,” he said.
The Finance Minister invited criticism from various quarters for blaming Mukherjee’s stimulus packages in 2008 recently. Even UPA constituents SP and BSP were also seen supporting the BJP leader’s observation in the House.