Ex CM Kamal Nath's Congress govt stopped 51 central schemes: Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attacked Priyanka Gandhi on her charge that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is giving 21 freebies to woo voters and has failed to protect women as 17 rapes take place in the state every day, saying she is silent on the atrocities against them in Rajasthan where Congress is in power. She also alleged that Congress discontinued 51 central schemes in the state in the 15 months it was in power from 2018.

In a press interaction here, the finance minister batted for BJP governments at the Centre and in states for smooth implementation of welfare schemes. She said the Centre is willing to bring petrol and diesel under Goods and Services Tax but the non-Congress governments in states are opposing it.

Asked about Gandhi's charge during campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, Sitharaman said, "She does not say a word about Rajasthan, where so many atrocities are taking place against women, specifically Dalit women."

She alleged that Congress governments everywhere are corrupt and have "become ATMs of one family". This can be seen in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and now in Karnataka since it came to power there, she added.
Sitharaman also slammed ex-chief minister Kamal Nath, saying his government had discontinued 51 welfare schemes of the Centre during his tenure and yet Congress tries to create the impression that it is pro-farmer.

"Whenever Congress has come to power in Madhya Pradesh, it has only cheated and misled the farmers. We have been hearing slogans of removing poverty since the 1970s but no concrete steps have been taken to deal with it. All promises made by Congress have remained unfulfilled," she said.

In reply to a question on "21 freebies" by the BJP government, the finance minister differentiated between welfare schemes and freebies. "Welfare schemes are discussed and passed in Parliament and state Assemblies and a budget is allocated for their implementation. The funds are given to the beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer," she said. Freebies, on the other hand, are announced first and funds are sought for them later.