Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday strongly criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's statement on an impending 'economic storm' due to the West Asia crisis, according to reports from PTI. Sitharaman said that if Congress and its leaders cannot contribute positively to nation-building, they should stop being 'obstructionists'. She emphasized that 'A responsible opposition does not engage in fear-mongering' in a series of tweets published late on Tuesday night. The criticism came after Gandhi warned of a massive economic storm moving inexorably towards the country, stating it would be 'the likes of which we have never experienced'.
Sitharaman highlighted the Narendra Modi government's track record since 2014, stating that it has served every sector and section of Indian society through its policies and initiatives, as reported by PTI. She specifically mentioned that farmers, the poor, women, youth and MSMEs are at the core of the government's governance structure. The finance minister questioned the Opposition's allegation that the economic storm will bypass major corporate groups but impact common citizens, asking whether 58 crore Jan Dhan accounts, 57 crore Mudra loan accounts, and one crore SVANidhi accounts were intended for Adani and Ambani. She also wondered if flagship programs like PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, PM Internship scheme, and PM KISAN were meant for industrialists.
According to PTI reports, Sitharaman referenced several flagship initiatives including the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, PM Internship Scheme, Ayushman Bharat, e-Shram cards, and employment guarantee measures under the rural jobs programme. She noted that these programs were designed to support vulnerable and low-income sections. The finance minister also highlighted women's empowerment programs including the Lakhpati Didi and Drone Didi schemes, while mentioning that fuel excise duty cuts and free foodgrain distribution under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana were intended to shield common citizens from inflationary pressures.
As reported by PTI, Sitharaman highlighted the government's agricultural and MSME support measures. She stated that the government had absorbed high international fertiliser prices to protect farmers and introduced the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) 5.0 to support MSMEs. According to the finance minister, agriculture credit grew 15.7 per cent last year, while MSME credit growth stood at 33 per cent. She emphasized that the government is 'focused on the welfare of common people' with farmers, youth and women being important parts of this structure.
