Former finance minister P Chidambaram, who, along with his wife and son, has been busy seeking protection from arrest from various courts across the country for a number of bribery and tax evasion cases, has accused the Modi government of financial inefficiency.
In a Tweet, Chidambaram, the accused of Aircel-Maxis and INX Media scams, who is also accused of signing the controversial order of 20:80 scheme that benefitted Mehul Choksi, has stated that the Modi government is following a ‘scorched earth’ policy by promising big schemes for which there is no money.
The BJP government is following a scorched-earth policy. It will spend money it does not have and it will leave a huge unpaid bill for the next Government.
Only those who know they face defeat will follow a scorched-earth policy.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 15, 2019
As expected, the stark irony of Chidambaram, whose government had first reaped the benefits of the NDA government’s policies after 2004 and then managed to drive the nation’s economy to one of the worst performing spells in its 10-year-rule, criticising the Modi government’s policies was not lost on Twitter users.
What Cong left behind in 2014
– 10 lac cr NPA in PSU banks
– 8 lac cr Oil subsidy bill
– 5 lac cr running fiscal deficit
– No money for OROP
– No money for Rafale
And much more….Yeh scorched earth policy pe gyaan baant rahe hai….!! ??? https://t.co/CpAlWq0bOC
— Rahul Bhangadia (@aarembee) January 15, 2019
lol! Check the official and the unofficial deficit (unpaid oil bonds, undeclared NPA laden banks, to be recapitalized by the next Govt) that you left for the next Govt in 2014 vs the Fiscal Deficit in 2019.
Brazen and Shameless liars! https://t.co/iyw4h02qXu
— हम भारत के लोग (@India_Policy) January 15, 2019
Twitter users reminded the former finance minister of his government’s enduring legacy of NPAs, oil bonds and failure to implement schemes like OROP for the apparent lack of money.
Chidambaram was also reminded of the raids and cases going in against him and his family members.
Don’t worry sir. It seems that to compensate for the deficit, the government is raiding those who stashed crores during UPA regime. If you know someone, please cooperate. https://t.co/nEn055r2rH
— Rahul Raj (@bhak_sala) January 15, 2019
Some Twitter users did not even bother going into the details of UPA financial mess. They just pointed out to Chidambaram that he should not be worrying about it.
We believe in @narendramodi and also that the next govt will be run by @BJP4India . So you don’t have to worry. Your worry should be limited to protecting yourself and Kartik from prosecution. https://t.co/Q1lpVO6ibH
— Dr R K Tiwari (@drrktiwari) January 15, 2019
Please don’t worry abt the economy at least for next 5 more years.
The country is in safe hands of @narendramodi
Focus on getting extension for your bail#ModiOnceMore #NaMoAgain2019 https://t.co/cgsurRuPSi
— கொங்குத்தமிழன் #SaveSabarimalai (@kongu_tamizhan) January 15, 2019
PM Narendra Modi, in one of his addresses in the parliament, had stated that the burden of NPAs the UPA government had left over the country could have paralysed India’s economy. He had stated that between 2008 to 2014 during UPA rule, banks gave Rs 52 lakh crores in loans as compared to 18 lakh crores in the last 60 years.
Similarly, the UPA government where Chidambaram was the finance minister, had passed on a colossal debt of oil bonds to be repaid to oil producing companies to the tunes of Rs 2 lakh crores, of which 70,000 crores was paid as interest. The amount had to be paid off by the Modi government.
