“These questions, filled with frustration, arose from Congress’s hatred of Prime Minister Modi,” BJP said.
New Delhi:
The BJP, armed with official growth figures, attacked with all its weapons the nine questions from Congress to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his nine-year tenure at the Center. Calling them “a bunch of lies and a mountain of deceit”, former minister and top BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said today that he first thought of ignoring it, but it is a “big pack of lies” that he felt it was necessary to establish the record directly.
“These questions, filled with frustration, arose from Congress’s hatred of Prime Minister Modi. These are not questions that arise from criticism, which they have a right to ask, but are the result of pathological hatred towards Narendra Modi,” Prasad said. saying.
They (Congress) have questioned the “mismanagement” of Covid, the former union minister enraged, calling it “not just a lie, but the height of Congressional shamelessness.”
They have also questioned the lockdown, even as everyone agrees that India’s management of Covid was the best, he said, citing various government efforts to contain the pandemic. He said the great old party is free to criticise, but questioned why it was “weakening India’s resolve” by using that.
“This is a huge disrespect to the thousands of service workers – doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and ambulance drivers – who tried to save the country during the Covid crisis. We strongly condemn it,” he said.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said he was “amused” by Congress’s assertion that India’s economy is in very bad shape. The Indian economy was part of the “fragile five” during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he noted, adding that under Prime Minister Modi’s nine years at the helm, it ranks among the top five globally.
The former minister then highlighted figures that, according to him, indicated a massive growth of the economy.
“The Indian economy was $1 trillion in 2014, now it has exceeded $3.5 trillion. India has more than 50 lakh crore of foreign exchange reserves. India exported goods worth Rs 36 lakh crore, this was only Rs 19 lakh crore in 2014. It almost doubled,” he said.
On the price increase, Prasad responded by comparing the annual inflation figures with the world’s major economies.
“In April 2023, India’s annual inflation was 4.7 percent. In the US, it was 8.9, Australia 8.5, France 17.5, Sweden 21.2 and Germany 23.5,” he said, adding that this was despite the fact that the war in Ukraine “dislocated” the country. global supply chain, which affects the whole world.
He then moved on to questions about farmers. Citing figures from the Minimum Support Price, he said that Congress was lying about the MSP.
“MSP for rice was Rs 1360 per quintal in 2014-15, today it is Rs 2040 per quintal. Paddy was Rs 1400, now it is Rs 2060 per quintal. MSP for jowar increased from Rs 1530 to Rs 2970, for bajra went from Rs 1,250 to 2,350, and toor dal MSp went up from Rs 4,350 to Rs 6,600,” Prasad said.
“They should review the records and correct their data before making complaints,” he added.
The former minister then tried to “fact check” the congressional charge that manufacturing was weakening.
Mr. Prasad said India was exporting Rs 16,000 crores worth of defense exports and is the world’s second largest mobile phone maker.
“In 2022-23, Rs 90 000 crore worth of mobile phones were exported, employing four to five lakh people (70% women). In 2014, India exported 78% of its mobile phones. Now 99 % of India’s requirements are met by phones made in India,” it said, without offering a comparison of overall manufacturing data.
Prasad also criticized the Congress for challenging the Goods and Services Tax, which the former Speaker of Congress called the “Gabbar Singh Tax.”
Revenue of Rs 1.87 lakh crore was generated from GST, the highest ever, it said, later citing data from Direct Benefit Transfers.
“In 2022-23, Rs 6,68,435 crore was transferred directly to the bank accounts of the poor as part of 312 schemes. Rs 2,73,093 crore was saved, which was previously siphoned off by intermediaries,” he said.
India’s fintech market is one of the largest in the world, Prasad noted. “It was Rs 50 billion in 2021 and it will reach 150 billion dollars by 2025. Digital payments in India are worth 10 billion dollars,” he said, suggesting that India’s great strides towards digitization were driving the economy.
On the unemployment issue, Prasad did not cite official figures, but suggested that the pace of road construction, metro development and railway electrification, among other things, have surely created employment. He also said that tech unicorns are employing dozens of people.
“Rail electrification was only 33 percent in 2013-14, today it is 90 percent. India has the cheapest internet in the world. 74 new airports have been built,” Prasad said, suggesting these were boosting employment.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, on the issue of corruption, mocked Congress, citing sensationalized allegations of corruption during his tenure at the Center, specifically naming the 2G scam, Commonwealth Games, Adarsh scam, Bofors, Submarine scam and helicopters.
Congress Senior Leader Jairam Ramesh, flanked by party leaders Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate, released a ‘Nau saal, Nau sawaal’ leaflet today and said that Prime Minister Modi became Prime Minister on that day nine years ago and Therefore, the party wants to ask you nine questions.
