The Congress on Wednesday disputed RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan’s remark that the Narendra Modi Government has taken steps to create an environment for investment and is “sensitive” to concerns of investors. “Please talk to the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) on retrospective tax as also a number of companies,” former Union Minister and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, reacting to Rajan’s address at the Economic Club in New York.
In his address, Rajan said that the expectations from the new Government, when it came to power last year, were “probably unrealistic” but it has taken steps to create an environment for investment and is “sensitive” to concerns of investors. Scindia, who is also AICC spokesperson, dubbed the Modi Government as “marketing, repackaging and a photo-op” Government and said it has nothing to show by way of achievements in its one year in office. Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister, he said the Government is following a MODI policy — “Moneyed Only-Deprived Ignored”.
Finding fault with the ‘Make in India’ programme, he said it should have been the “outcome” and “not a slogan”. Scindia alleged that the “suit boot ki sarkar” has been harsh on the poor and the weak as it has slashed “social sector spending” by a whooping Rs1,75,122 crore in one year alone by drastically reducing funds to the social sector schemes, closing down Backward Regions Grant Fund and by not implementing the food security programme.
“Shockingly, these cuts have been unabatedly applied to areas and sectors such as women and child development, agriculture, irrigation, panchayati raj, education, health and housing”, said the former Union Minister at the AICC briefing. He also attacked the way the Government was “profiteering” from the slide in the global crude oil prices instead of using the opportunity to give a boost to the economy as also raising the social sector spending to help the poor.
To counter attack Narendra Modi’s Government, mega celebrations during the next fortnight as part of one year celebrations, Congress too launched a blistering attack on the ruling dispensation by conducting 24 Press conferences across the country on a single day and is likely to be contriuned during the nexy few days.
Scindia alleged that MNREGA has been described as a ‘colossal failure’ by none less than Modi on the floor of Parliament. He also alleged that women and child development is the biggest casualty and in this regard the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) aimed at health and nutrition of millions of children and lactating mothers has seen a reduction of Rs9,858 crore. Citing figures, Scindia also stressed that education has become the last priority of Modi Government and funds have been reduced for all- Primary, Secondary and Higher Education by several crores. “The Government has also abolished the scheme for granting Central assistance for setting up of 6,000 Model Schools to be set up at Block level across the country,” Scindia said.