"Wake Up, Smell The Coffee": Congress's Chidambaram To Modi Government On Economy
NDTV
"BJP government says, 'Can't do anything (on price rise); it's due to external factors'. But then why are they in power?" says former finance minister
Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram today said the BJP government cannot just blame "external factors" for price rise, and that India's growth forecast "will be slashed further" if no steps are taken. "The only one who seems to be happy about the economy is the government. I call it whistling in the dark." he jibed, in an interview with NDTV.
"The government says, 'I can't do anything; it's due to external factors'. But then why are you in government?" he said, citing taxes on petroleum products as an example. "The government needs to cut the greedy cess on petrol and diesel," argued the Rajya Sabha member.
"There is no point comparing with other countries," he said, adding that the government has to "make an effort" to attract investment.
"We are increasingly dependent on imports... I don't see the government doing anything to control that," he said,
