MYSURU: With the Congress terming the arrest of former Finance Minister and party leader P Chidambaram as “vindictive politics”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on Thursday rubbished such allegations. She also refuted the Congress’ claim that the BJP-led Union government “influenced” the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest Chidambaram.
“I am saddened by the allegations as the court, Income-Tax (IT) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are just doing their jobs. They have the right to ask questions. Moreover, the country can be run without misusing the bureaucracy,” she told reporters here.
She said officials are working on finding solutions to check job cuts in various industrial sectors in the country. The finance ministry has already heard the grievances of representatives from various segments, she added.
On downturn in the economy said to be due to the goods and services tax (GST) and demonetisation of high-value currency notes, the minister said, “Globally every countries is facing a similar situation, be it China, Latin America or European countries. In China too, car purchases have come down”. “The situation regarding inflation is much better than what was before 2014, as the prices of essential commodities are under control. If the prices are under control, there is nothing to worry about and PM Narendra Modi is addressing the very issue”.