UPA Wasted A Decade, Every Crisis Changed To Reform Now: Nirmala Sitharaman

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has wasted a decade, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she tore into the Opposition front while replying to the no-confidence motion in the parliament.

Her criticism of the UPA, the Opposition front which was in power during 2004-2014 and is now known by the acronym 'INDIA', was followed by a report card of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Ms Sitharaman said the UPA had no credibility and it reminded the people of corruption and cronyism, due to which the Opposition parties have chosen the 'INDIA' name for their front.

'INDIA' stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, and comprises 26 parties, including the Congress, Trinamool, DMK, RJD, and others.

The minister also took a swipe at the contenders in the Opposition front and pointed out how they are opposed to each other in different states.

"It's a bizarre partnership. In Punjab, Congress and AAP are fighting. In West Bengal, Trinamool, Left and Congress are fighting. In Kerala, Left and Congress are fighting. In Jammu and Congress, National Conference and PDP are fighting," said the Finance Minister.

"The UPA has wasted a whole decade, but every crisis has changed to reform now. Under the NDA, we have seen high growth and low inflation," she added.

She said the Congress "dynasty" was benefitting from leakages and major scams. "But NDA has put an end to it. Rs 2.76 lakh crore profit was recorded because we stopped the leakages," she added.

NDA, or National Democratic Alliance, is the ruling front led by Ms Sitharaman's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The minister highlighted how her government has revolutionized the finance sector with the UPI (Unified Payments Interface). She said the government's policies support start-ups which have seen tremendous gains.

She also pointed to her government's focus on the healthcare system and that now there are 23 AIIMS in the country, as compared to just seven in 2014, when the Modi government was voted to power.

Taking a dig at the previous UPA government, she said, "Launching a scheme is easy, but implementing them is difficult."

She also highlighted her government's efforts to tackle inflation, including the tomato prices that skyrocketed in the recent past.

"We have imported tomatoes from Nepal. Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) will get tomatoes at subsidised rates as low as Rs 70. Opposition-ruled states have not lowered the price of fuel, as a result of which inflation pressures remain high," said the Minister.

Slamming the DMK that raked up the issue of women safety and used the term "Droupadi" to refer to an incident in violence-hit Manipur, she reminded them of a 1989 incident in which former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa (then leader of opposition)'s "saree was pulled and DMK members laughed at her".