India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 13 launched a scathing attack on critics who have accused the Narendra Modi government of crony capitalism, ignoring the poor and mishandling the farmers’ protest against the agriculture laws.
Ms Sitharaman singled out the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, whom she said was becoming a “doomsday man for India; Mr Gandhi has repeatedly attacked the centre on multiple issues, including the farmers’ protest and the India-China border stand-off, in the past weeks and months.
“Who are our cronies? Our cronies are the common ‘janta’ (people) of this country,” Ms Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha, ahead of her reply to budget-related questions.
“Where are the cronies? They’re hiding probably in the shadow of that party which has been rejected by the people (a reference to the Congress). The shadows who were invited to even develop a port… they were invited. No open tenders, no global tenders,” she continued.
“… these two tendencies of the Congress… makes it clear their belief in a democratic system is finished… he (Rahul Gandhi) is probably becoming a doomsday man for India,” she added.
The Finance Minister also attacked Mr Gandhi and his party for “U-turns” in their support of farmers.
“I wanted to know from the Congress why it took a U-turn on the farm laws but no reply came,” she said, adding that Mr Gandhi had failed to explain why Congress governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh did not waive farm loans, as promised in their manifestos.
She also criticised Mr Gandhi’s understanding of the new agriculture laws, which the centre says will help farmers by allowing them to sell at markets and prices of their choice.
“Have APMCs (mandis) been closed after the introduction of the Farmers Act? He (Mr Gandhi) was speaking like they had been… They (the new laws) are also helping improve the condition of APMCs. He (Mr Gandhi) is insulting everyone… whether President, Prime Minister or Speaker… constantly lying and insulting the country,” Ms Sitharaman raged.
The farmers fear the new laws mean the closure of mandis, or traditional wholesale markets. The opposition, has flagged this issue, among others, saying it will lead to large-scale job losses.
