Union minister Arun Jaitley fired back at Rahul Gandhi after his blistering attack on the Modi government on Thursday, hurling a “how much does he know?, when will he know?” jibe that ignited a new war of words with the Congress.
The Congress president’s speech at a farmers’ rally in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh in which he took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi also drew another taunt from the BJP with a state minister in the poll-bound state saying it was “scripted”, like the one delivered by a character in the Bollywood hit “3 Idiots”.
Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala quickly hit back at Jaitley over his jibe at Gandhi, asking instead how much does he know, alleging that arrogance of the BJP has touched its “zenith” as they have turned “blind” to farm distress.
In a blog, he responded to six points made by Rahul, dubbing each of his contentions as “factually false.”
On his charge that PM Modi had waived loans of Rs 2.5 lakh crore of the 15 top industrialists, Jaitley asserted that “factually this is completely false as the Government has not waived a single rupee due from any industrialist.”
“Those who owed money to the banks and other creditors have been declared insolvent and removed from their companies under the legislation enacted by PM Modi’s Government. These loans were given largely during the UPA Government,” Jaitley said.
Again, the charge that loans are not available to kisans but only to industrialists is also false as this was during the UPA Government, particularly in UPA II, as the bulk of the amount constituting the NPA was put out by the banking system during 2008-14. Since 2014, systematically, steps have been taken to recover these monies, Jaitley pointed out.
Responding to the charge that PM has given Rs.35000 crores each to two diamond jewellers who have now escaped from the country, the Union Minister said: “This banking fraud started in 2011 when the UPA II was in power. It was only detected during the NDA period.”
Rahul also charged that if the Congress comes to power, mobile phones, which are made in China, will be manufactured in India. “I have a dream,” the Congress president said, “that when I come back here in ten years and look at my phone, it is labelled ‘Made in Mandsaur’.” This, he claimed, wouldn’t be possible under governments led by Modi or Chauhan.
Jaitley said this is a case of inadequate knowledge. “In the year 2014, when UPA went out of power, there were only two mobile phone manufacturing units in India. In 2018, with the result of our electronics policy and the incentives in a four year period, this has increased to 120 units with an investment of Rs.132000 crores.
Yet another charge was that jobs are not being created in India. “The latest GDP data has reemphasised India as the fastest growing economy. There is a double digit growth in construction, expansion in manufacturing, an increased capital formation which indicates investment increase, large investment in physical infrastructure and increased investment in rural India. All these are job creating sectors.”
Rahul has also boasted that “we will connect farms and villages to the cities.’’ Regarding this, Jaitley said Rahul’s impression is of the Digvijaya Singh era in Madhya Pradesh when he was the chief minister.
“Madhya Pradesh had the worst set of roads in India when the Congress was voted out in 2003. Poor quality roads was one key reason for ousting the Congress. Thanks to Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Prime Minister Modi, who during the NDA Government has tripled the investment in rural roads, in comparison to what the UPA spent, there is a revolution in the Gram Sadak Yojana.”
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promised to waive farmers’ loans in Madhya Pradesh – all within 10 days — if his party comes to power. He also said if the Congress comes to power in MP, those responsible for the death of six farmers in Mandsaur district would face strict action within 10 days. He was addressing a rally held to mark first anniversary of a firing incident that claimed the lives of six farmers. The family members of three out of the six deceased farmers also shared the dais with Gandhi.
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