An unworkable alliance can never fulfill the nation's aspirations, Arun Jaitley said.
Citing achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday that India needs a decisive Prime Minister with a clear mandate to deliver economic growth and fulfill the aspirations of people, not an alliance of "maverick" leadership.
In a blog post titled ''Political stability, Decisive Leadership and a Clear Mandate - Their Relationship with Growth'', Mr Jaitley said India has emerged as the fastest growing major economy under PM Modi, it is still to achieve the 8 per cent GDP growth target.
"Who should be India's Prime Minister if we were to achieve this? Should he or she be constrained by rival aspirants who have reluctantly supported a common opponent or one with a clear mandate as in 2014," he said in an apparent dig at the grand alliance being envisioned by opposition parties.
"An unworkable alliance with maverick leadership and whose longevity is a suspect can never achieve this" he said in the blog.
The Finance Minister added that India recorded a growth rate of 7.3 per cent during 2014-15 to 2018-19 as against 6.9 per cent in UPA 1 and 6.7 per cent in UPA 2. Also, the inflation tduring the five-year period remained low at 4.6 per cent.
When PM Modi came to power, India was the tenth largest economy in GDP terms in the world. Presently, the fifth, sixth and seventh largest economies namely the United Kingdom, France and India are within a very narrow range, he added.
Citing a report, Mr Jaitley said the size of India's middle-class is growing at a fast pace, from 14 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2015. It is estimated to go all the way to 44 per cent in 2025.