People queue up to open bank accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in Noida on Friday (PTI photo)
New Delhi:
Congress today accused the BJP-led NDA government of being a "copycat" and ridiculed it for engaging in "hype and hoopla" over the launch of the "Jan Dhan Yojana" scheme yesterday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which will provide bank accounts to the poor. (Attempt to End Financial Untouchability, Says PM About New Scheme)
Congress claimed that the scheme was "only a continuation" of the financial inclusion plan initiated by the previous UPA government that it led.
Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that imitation continues to be the policy of the NDA government and "BJP continues to piggy back on and copy UPA programmes".
He also said that while Congress had no problem with the plan for financial inclusion, BJP should not engage in "hype and hoopla and exaggeration".
"No due credit" was given by Mr Modi for the "massive financial inclusion programmes" carried out for a decade by the Congress-led UPA government, Mr Singhvi claimed.
"Don't be cussed and non-generous," he said, alleging that the BJP-led government suffered from "insecurity" and, hence, was not recognising the contribution made by the previous UPA dispensation.
Citing figures, Mr Singhvi said there were 43.9 crore bank accounts in the country when UPA came to power in 2004 and that figure had risen to 77.32 crore when it demitted office in 2014. (Also Read: Over 1.84 Crore Bank Accounts Opened Under 'Jan Dhan Yojana', Bank Camps on All Saturdays)
"The number of villages covered in terms of bank accounts increased from 67,000 to 2.48 lakh in three years from 2010. Is it fair to say that nothing happened?" he said.
Another Congress leader Anand Sharma, a former Commerce Minister, claimed that the Jan Dhan Yojana was only an "amalgamation of the various schemes" from the past and "the prime minister's claim that nothing had happened in the last 68 years is a falsification of the truth".
Mr Sharma alleged that by saying nothing was done, the NDA government has "insulted" the officials, including those in banks, who had toiled hard.
"This only shows duplicity and doublespeak... I am not objecting to what the PM has done, but his claim that nothing happened in 68 years is a falsification of truth to hoodwink the innocent and the poor people of India," he said.
Mr Sharma said one expected the prime minister and finance minister to have the honesty to tell the people about what had been achieved by the financial inclusion mission pursued by the UPA when it was in power.
Congress claimed that the scheme was "only a continuation" of the financial inclusion plan initiated by the previous UPA government that it led.
Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that imitation continues to be the policy of the NDA government and "BJP continues to piggy back on and copy UPA programmes".
He also said that while Congress had no problem with the plan for financial inclusion, BJP should not engage in "hype and hoopla and exaggeration".
"No due credit" was given by Mr Modi for the "massive financial inclusion programmes" carried out for a decade by the Congress-led UPA government, Mr Singhvi claimed.
"Don't be cussed and non-generous," he said, alleging that the BJP-led government suffered from "insecurity" and, hence, was not recognising the contribution made by the previous UPA dispensation.
Citing figures, Mr Singhvi said there were 43.9 crore bank accounts in the country when UPA came to power in 2004 and that figure had risen to 77.32 crore when it demitted office in 2014. (Also Read: Over 1.84 Crore Bank Accounts Opened Under 'Jan Dhan Yojana', Bank Camps on All Saturdays)
"The number of villages covered in terms of bank accounts increased from 67,000 to 2.48 lakh in three years from 2010. Is it fair to say that nothing happened?" he said.
Another Congress leader Anand Sharma, a former Commerce Minister, claimed that the Jan Dhan Yojana was only an "amalgamation of the various schemes" from the past and "the prime minister's claim that nothing had happened in the last 68 years is a falsification of the truth".
Mr Sharma alleged that by saying nothing was done, the NDA government has "insulted" the officials, including those in banks, who had toiled hard.
"This only shows duplicity and doublespeak... I am not objecting to what the PM has done, but his claim that nothing happened in 68 years is a falsification of truth to hoodwink the innocent and the poor people of India," he said.
Mr Sharma said one expected the prime minister and finance minister to have the honesty to tell the people about what had been achieved by the financial inclusion mission pursued by the UPA when it was in power.
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