New Delhi:
A war of words has erupted between the Congress and the BJP over growth figures after Finance Minister P Chidambaram contested Narendra Modi's claims of growth figures during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Shweta Rajpal Kohli, senior leader of BJP Yashwant Sinha, who had termed P Chidambaram's rebuttal "terrorism of facts" says we need to give Mr Modi benefit of doubt, and that he was referring to the last year of NDA rule and not the full term. He also says he is not quarreling over Mr Chidambaram's figures as they are stated figures of growth and no one can challenge them.
Here's the complete transcript of the interview:
NDTV: Clearly Mr Modi's statement that growth during Mr Vajpayee's tenure is something that the Finance Minister has contested. The fact remains it is not a correct statement.
Yashwant Sinha: I have not heard what Mr Modi said. But you will recall that 8.4% or even 8.6% was the growth rate of the economy in the last year.
NDTV: Last year, you've made a correct point. The last year bit is key.
Yashwant Sinha: Last year of NDA rule ended with a growth rate of 8.6%. Right? When you're talking about the performance of the economy, growth rate is just one part of it.
NDTV: I will come to the other parameters but you do agree it is an incorrect statement to say growth during Mr Vajpayee's tenure was 8.4%.
Yashwant Sinha: Growth is one part of it. You cannot isolate one particular year and say this is wrong. Mr Modi might have said we ended the year with 8.4%.
NDTV: He did not say we ended the year. He said during the tenure...
Yashwant Sinha: So now we're nibbling with words.
NDTV: So what you're saying he meant NDA ended the year with 8.4%?
Yashwant Sinha: This is what anyone who has any knowledge of the growth figures of the economy would say.
NDTV: But it did not come across like that. It came across as Mr Modi saying we growth during vajpayee's tenure was 8.4%.
Yashwant Sinha: Let it be. Why not take it Mr Modi was referring to last year of NDA rule? Why not give him the benefit of doubt? And why go by what Chidambaram is saying? It has just given an opportunity to Chidambaram to quote six years' figures of NDA and compare it with perhaps nine years of UPA.
NDTV: But the fact also is that during your tenure there were two years when growth was just about 4%.
Yashwant Sinha: It was sub 5% for reasons that are now recorded in history.
NDTV: But the statement of Mr Modi comes across as saying...
Yashwant Sinha: You're going back to the same point.
NDTV: Because the whole rebuttal is on that point.
Yashwant Sinha: Chidambaram is taking advantage of what can only be described as jugglery of figures to make a point.
NDTV: The same can be said for Mr Modi. What was happening there was jugglery of figures to say growth was 8.4% during Vajpayee's tenure is an incorrect statement. Wouldn't you agree as the former Finance Minister?
Yashwant Sinha: I am telling you it was 8.6% during last year of Vajpayee's tenure.
NDTV: Not during the full term.
Yashwant Sinha: Of course not during the full term. These are recorded figures. The second point I would like to make is what is the growth rate today? The last quarter's growth rate was 4.8%. How does Mr Chidambaram explain this? If he is so concerned about growth rate only how does he explain the fact that 2012-13 ended with growth of 5% and first quarter of this fiscal has recorded 4.8%.
NDTV: But the UPA also claims that it was also during its tenure we saw growth rates above 9% which were never seen. So it's all a jugglery of numbers. They can turn around and say the golden period was plus 9% growth that UPA delivered.
Yashwant Sinha: That is why I am saying we need to look at it in a holistic context. If you're comparing economic performance of NDA and UPA you have to look at a whole set of figures. One is growth rate. Mr Chidambaram says it was 5.9% average. Then he says in their nine years it was 8.4% average. I am not quarreling with those figures. You and I have no choice. These are stated figures in the economic survey. How can we challenge them?