Nirmala Sitharaman was speaking during the no-confidence motion debate
Mocking the Congress's "gareebi hatao" slogan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the Narendra Modi government had transformed governance in the country by delivering instead of just promising.
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the BJP government, Ms Sitharaman said that the World Bank is forecasting a decline in global economy but India is in a rare optimistic position.
"India was declared a fragile economy in 2013. The same agency has upgraded India's economy now," she said, adding that the economy continued to grow even during the Covid pandemic.
Taking a swipe at former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's 'gareebi hatao' slogan, Ms Sitharaman said, "We have been hearing "gareebi hatao" - meaning remove poverty - for six decades. But was it removed? Previous governments gave a postdated cheque, that poverty will be remove."
"Prime Minister Modi changed this. There is a transformation in our governance. Words like 'banega, milega' are gone, people are now using 'ban gaya, mil gaya, aa gaya'," she said, stressing that the government is delivering on its promises.
"UPA wasted a generation because of corruption. Under NDA, we have seen high growth and low inflation," she said, adding, "We believe in empowering all and appeasement of none."
Ms Sitharaman also targeted the Opposition bloc INDIA, calling it a bizarre partnership. "In Punjab, Congress and AAP are fighting. In Bengal, TMC, Left and Congress are fighting. In Kerala, Left and Congress are fighting. In J&K, National Conference and PDP are fighting, etc," she said.