NEW DELHI: Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Friday said the country’s economy was in a ‘perilous state’ and had he been the finance minister of this government, he would have resigned. He said the countdown for elections had begun and one did not expect anything better from this government as there was nothing it would do in the next 60 days that would alter the state of the country’s economy. He said the NDA government would not be able to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent, like in 2017-18 when it missed the fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent. “We don’t expect anything better from this government. This is the countdown to the elections. Nothing the government will do in the next 60 days will alter the status of the economy. “The state of the economy is quite perilous…Every indicator is worrisome…So, we have to pray some hope and trust in the next government,” he told reporters.
Asked what he would have done in this government if he were its finance minister, Chidambaram said, “If I were the finance minister in the NDA government, then I would have resigned.” Chidambaram said the government to announce some sops and measures in the Vote-on-Account, but said no major decision could be announced. “I don’t think they have ever felt the need to go by any precedent. They make their own precedents,” he said when asked if the government might announce some big sops or schemes during the Vote-on-Account. He alleged that the GST collections net to the Centre were falling short of the target and the government’s net direct tax collection was also falling short of their budget estimate. “They may garner some money through some devices but I think they will find it difficult to meet the fiscal target. I will compliment them if they meet the target but I have my doubts,” he said. He also rejected as “wrong” the claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the GDP during the last five years was the highest since 1991 for any government.