Calling Prime Minister Narenrda Modi an 'event manager', senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said that the BJP leadership was trying to sell dreams by claiming economic improvement in its two-year regime. Sharma said that the truth is India’s economy is in tatters because of faulty decision of the NDA government.
"Modi is still trying to sell dreams while people have lost jobs, prices of essential commodities have gone up, export has nosedived and our relation with foreign countries has touched a new low. The PM has betrayed the country by claiming that he has fulfilled all promises,” Sharma, who is Deputy leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, told nedia persons in lucknow on Sunday.
“They (BJP leaders) are good in event management and which was proved during its function held to celebrate the second anniversary of the Modi government. This government is trying to pull wool over the eyes of the people,” the Congress leader said.
Sharma took strong exceptions to Modi's statement that the Opposition was playing the role of obstructionist while the government was doing development.
“In democracy, the Opposition has the responsibility to find faults with the government. We are doing our duty,” he said.
A former Union minister, Sharma painted a miserable picture of the Indian economy under the present NDA regime.
“The slump in the prices of petroleum products at the international market in the past two years has saved the NDA government from crumbling. The government saved around Rs 5 lakh crore from reduced petroleum prices. But without passing it to the people, the NDA government has hiked the taxes,” he said.
Sharma said that even as the PM remains out of the country for 100 days a year, he has failed to improve relations with neighbouring countries. He said that the exports of the country which rose to 323 billion dollars during UPA regime had come down to 261 billion dollars in the present government.
"It is for the first time in independent India that the national investment rate is less than national saving rate which is very dangerous for a country's economic health," he said.
Claiming that the present NDA government was re-christening names of the UPA schemes as it has nothing new to show. Sharma said that the agriculture sector has vore the brunt forcing farmers to commit suicide. "Agricultural exports, which had touched 43 billion dollars during UPA regime has come down to 27 billion dollars in Modi tenure," he said.