NEW DELHI: The Opposition tore into the government on Monday over sliding growth rate, declining investments and the general health of economy during the debate on the Budget in both Houses of Parliament.
Accusing the Modi government of being in denial mode over economic slowdown, the Opposition parties slammed its ‘failure to announce any positive measures in the Budget’.
Participating in the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the economy “is waiting to be pushed into the ICU. It is being kept outside and looked after by incompetent doctors”.
“The Chief Economic Advisor for four years says the economy is in ICU. Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee said the economy is in bad shape and central ministers started pouncing on him. The government is living in denial and it is unwilling to admit its mistakes,” he said.
Chidambaram said the BJP government has been managing the economy for last six year but continues to blame the previous governments for inheriting a bad economy.
DMK’s TKS Elangovan said the Budget had been made on false data and the Centre has been hiding important data like the one on employment. In the Lok Sabha, the Biju Janata Dal asked the government to break silence on the poverty line.
BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab said the Arvind Panagaria committee had submitted its report in 2016 for the constitution of an expert panel to deliberate on the poverty line, but the government was yet to clarify its stand on its recommendations. He argued that unlike the ‘Asian tiger’ economies that are fuelled by exports, India needs investment to push the growth into a higher trajectory.