Why Congress took U-Turn on farm reforms, asks Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that  the government took the Pandemic challenge as an opportunity and took bold steps for long term growth of the economy. Sitharaman rejected the allegations of the opposition parties about the reduction in the budget allocation for various schemes. She said, the budget provisions have been misread by the opposition members. Replying to the general discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, Ms Sitharaman also rebutted the allegations of the opposition for helping the crony capitalists. She said, NDA government has taken the steps for the welfare of poor, farmers, small and medium business who are not crony capitalists.

In a sharp attack on the Congress party's stand in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Budget, she said, it has become the tendency of the party to propagate false narratives and demean the sanctity of the constitutional bodies. She said, Congress does not believe in parliamentary democracy.Raising ten questions and seeking explanation from the Congress party, she asked why Congress took a U Turn on the farm reforms when it was mentioned in their 2019 manifesto. She further added that Congress announces loan waiver for farmers before polls but never implements it.Further attacking the Congress, she said, the party made a paradigm shift from hybrid socialism adopted after the independence to sudden liberalization of the economy in early 90s. Ms Sitharaman said, from the days of Jan Sangh to BJP, her party has always followed the ideology of supporting Indian economy by respecting wealth creators and honest citizens.

She asserted that the Union Budget for 2021-22 has set the pace for India to become Aatmanirbhar through reforms and stimulus. The Budget will provide necessary impetus to the growth of the economy affected by the Covid-19 situation. Reforms taken up by the Government will lay the path for making India one of the top economies of the world, the Minister added. Sitharaman said, "Hum Do, Hamare Do is that - we are two people taking care of the party and there are two others who I have to take care of - daughter and damad... We don't do that." Participating in the general discussion on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha,Rahul Gandhi had said that now four people are running the country...and everyone knows who they are.