Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. (PTI file)
Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today attacked current FM Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi government. He claimed that Jaitley is responsible for the present “mess” in Indian Economy. Writing in The Indian Express, the former Union Finance Minister said, “I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister has made of the economy. A large number of people in the BJP and elsewhere who are not speaking up out of fear.”
However, this is not the first time when Sinha has attacked Narendra Modi government at the Centre or Jaitley. In January 2016, Sinha had flayed Modi, saying people of India would “consign him to dust” in 2019. “The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections,” Sinha, who was finance minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had said without naming Modi.
Modi will bite dust
According to PTI, while speaking at a conference where CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury was also present, Sinha had commented on Modi government, saying, “There is absolutely no scope of no dialogue… This is the great strength of Indian democracy. There will be aberrations here and there, there might be concerns about the present situation. But the great Indian society will take care of it and consign to dust those who do not believe in dialogue in India.”
Foreign policy
In June 2016, Sinha took a swipe at the foreign policy of Modi government, saying “nothing” has come out, or will, of the Centre’s Pakistan policy.” His remarks came after a terrorist attack in Pampore in which eight CRPF personnel were killed. “I come under the category of brain dead. My class is that I do not have the status of giving any suggestion. I am saying this openly that I cannot even give suggestions. But I have publicly opposed the policy of my own government which they are following with Pakistan,” PTI had quoted him as saying.
“I have stressed that if I have even some experience of (issues involving) Pakistan and about foreign policy, then nothing will come out of this (present policy). In two years, nothing has come out till now,” he added.
Sinha had further said, “When these numbers of our people are being slaughtered, it’s a clear open attack on India by Pakistan. It is with great distress that I am saying that our government’s policy towards Pakistan has failed.”
NSG membership
In the same month, the former FM had also flayed Modi government over its push to get NSG membership. “India which has shown so much keenness in getting NSG membership, it is not required at all. I say this very strongly that India should not accept the NSG membership. We should not go there as an applicant. Whatever we had to get, we have got it,” Sinha had said.
BJP had downplayed Sinha’s criticism of Modi government’s foreign policy. According to ANI, BJP spokerspoerson Nalin Kohli had then said, “As far as an assessment of the foreign policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government would be considered I think one can clearly see that results are showing. Definitely, there is a big change between what India’s standing globally was two years ago and two years after Modi ji has assumed office.”
However, Sinha changed his view of Modi after Indian Army carried out the Surgical Strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in September last year. He had said, “The Indian armed forces have shown the mettle they are made of; the Prime Minister has shown the will power he possesses. Those who were trying to measure his chest must be looking for a new and much bigger tape.”
Margdarshak Mandal
Modi has put all BJP leaders above 75 years of age in the Margdarshak Mandal after coming to power in 2014. In 2015, Sinha took a swipe at Modi for excluding leaders above 75 years of age from the government. “I am among those, who are brain dead,” Sinha, then 82, had said. His son Jayant Sinha was however appointed as a minister.
Demonetisation
Last year in November after PM took noteban decision, Sinha had said that Modi’s regime, which has been unable to live up to its promise of job creation may end up disappointing the aam aadmi, more so after the demonetisation decision.
According to Rajya Sabha TV, Sinha had questioned India’s growth rate in July 2016 and demanded a clarification from the government.
GST
In July this year, Sinha had differed with Jaitley and Modi government on GST, saying the multi-tax rate GST is not likely to give 2 per cent boost to GDP. He had told Deccan Chronicle that the current GST is flawed but it could have been better without multiplicity of tax rates. In contrast, Jaitley has hailed GST on a number of occasions. In May this year, the current FM had said GST will help curb tax evasion and strengthen the Indian Economy.
