SIVAGANGA: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram lambasted the BJP over its election manifesto, and said that no significant announcements on the two issues plaguing the country - unemployment and price hike - have been made. While speaking to reporters in Karaikudi on Monday, Chidambaram added that the existing schemes were just renamed.
"Can't the BJP waive Rs 4,124 crore of non-performing assets, Rs 11,122 crore educational loans of students?" Chidambaram said, and added, "A total of Rs 10,41,974 crore-worth loans of industrialists were waived off in the last nine years of BJP regime."
He said, the NITI Aayog chief claimed that only five crore Indians were living below the poverty line. "If so, why were 80 crore people (or 16 to 20 crore families) given free rations? The exact figures could be identified only if socio-economic and caste census would have been conducted," the leader said. "The manifesto further said that they have constructed four crore houses. The data would be correct only if 50,000 to 52,000 houses were constructed in a district because there are 766 districts in the country. Show me the constructed houses as per their claims in Sivaganga and Pudukkottai districts," he said.
"The Congress manifesto has better aspects in terms of minimum support price for farm products, as the party assured legal guarantees for MSP. Congress has promised the minimum wage of Rs 400 for anyone."How many Thiruvalluvar cultural centres can the BJP open with their allocated `74 crore for Tamil development? Why can't they conduct an election in Jammu and Kashmir," Chidambaram said.