Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has backed the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme in an interview with The New Indian Express. She said, “Electoral bonds were one step better than what went before”. According to the finance minister, the BJP regime brought the law “to clean up electoral financing” and added, “Electoral funding will have to go through a lot more transparency”.
Further FM Sitharaman rebutted over charges of freezing the bank accounts of the Congress party just before the Lok Sabha polls. The FM said that the Income Tax department had sent the notice to Congress in 2021 but they failed to file appeasement papers.
‘India’s map will change’: Sitharaman’s husband warns against Modi’s re-election
“All that a political party needs to do to remain out of the tax net is to file an assessment…You have not followed the rule of law or the law of the land, and you expect to be treated differently,” she said.
Sitharaman also responded to questions about AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. “Didn’t the Prime Minister, then the Chief Minister, appear before the CBI just before the Gujarat elections? He went and answered all the questions. But now this has become a big deal. I think it has become a business in this country to create that kind of sympathy, victimhood and then say this government is awful,” the FM said.
Roadmap for financial sector reforms to be unveiled post polls
Further, she firmly shunned that ‘unemployment’ is one of the key issues in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Sitharaman said the opposition parties are using the word “joblessness” to get some talking points.
Tooting her own horn, FM Sitharaman said that the informal sector base has widened since the BJP came into power in 2014. She told the English Daily that the gig economy has grown exponentially but there is inadequate data with her to prove her point.
Farewell to FY24, with sterling GST collections
“It is a fact that in India we do not have data that is reflective adequately of the labour situation on the ground. We collect data on formal employment, but formal employment doesn’t constitute a large chunk of all employment in the country,” FM Nirmala Sitharaman told The Indian Express.
Further on the allocation of funds to states by the Centre, the finance minister said that the NDA government has no business in curtailing the development of any state.
On-target growth: 8% plus in 2023-24?
The opposition has often accused the Centre of not providing sufficient funds that are non-BJP-ruled states.
Sitharaman said, “We are led by a prime minister who’s been a chief minister, and who during UPA had seen what stepmotherly treatment is. With that experience, Modi, being in the Centre now as PM, knows that unless states get money in time, India’s development will be affected. You may have political differences, fight it out during polls, but there’s no business for any government to curtail the development of any state”.
Sitharaman also commented on the Congress manifesto, specifically on the party promising ₹1 lakh to every poor family. Calling it a “flamboyant manifesto”, she said that Congress should also explain where they are going to get the money from.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Published: 11 Apr 2024, 01:02 PM IST