Disharmony, growth can’t go together: Cong to PM

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 18

The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of leaving “no stone unturned to mismanage” the Indian economy even as it asked who the country’s Finance Minister was.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister had not understood that social disharmony and economic progress couldn’t go hand in hand, something that had left the economy in “downward spiral”.

“The NDA-BJP government has left no stone unturned in order to mismanage the Indian economy and we would like to underscore that response by once again asking who the Finance Minister of India is?” he told reporters.

“The reason why there has been such gross economic mismanagement over the past four years is because the NDA-BJP government and the PM have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand,” Tewari said.

The Indian economy has been in a “downward spiral since 2014”, he claimed, saying: “It is because of the strong foundations and fundamental laid by the UPA during its 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, that the Indian economy still continues to work.”

Tewari, a former Union minister, asked the PM why his government was not coming out with GDP numbers. “The gentleman, who is designated as the minister without portfolio on the website of the PMO… is holding video conferences with officials of the Finance Ministry,” he said.

“During the economic crisis, not having a clarification regarding this reflects a sad state of governance,” the Congress leader said.

Tewari also accused the government of being “hand-in-glove” with “scamsters” such as Nirav Modi.