Ahmedabad, November 7
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that he could proudly say that the previous UPA government had lifted 140 million people out of poverty.
Speaking a day ahead of demonetisation anniversary in Ahmedabad, Singh blasted the BJP government saying that nowhere in the world has any nation taken such a drastic step that sweeped off 86 per cent of the currency.
He said: “I repeat what I said in Parliament, demonetisation was an organised loot and legalised plunder.”
He said the fear of tax terrorism has eroded the confidence of Indian business to invest.
He said: “In first half of 2016-17, India's imports from China stood at Rs 1. 96 lakh crore. In 2017-18, it increased to Rs 2.41 lakh crore.
He said unprecedented growth of imports by over Rs 45,000 crore was registered, a 23 per cent increase in a year, can be attributed largely to demonetisation and GST.
Manmohan Singh termed bullet train project an exercise in vanity. —ANI