Congress spokesperson and MP from Silchar Sushmita Dev has described the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government as a ‘U-turn’ government as it has not fulfilled any of its promises to the people.
She told a press conference here that the economic policy of the Narendra Modi government remained a “mystery,” and described many of its policy measures as a rehash of the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s measures.
“Prime Minister-in-waiting” Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared strangers to each other, she said. The promise of double digit growth and two crore jobs remained a distant reality for India.
It was the UPA government which had introduced the Goods and Services Tax, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Mr. Modi who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat opposed it. The NDA government was now contemplating introducing Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, a turnaround on its promise, she said.
Defence purchase
The Congress spokesperson said Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had no right to criticise former Defence Minister A.K. Antony for delays in defence purchases because the most recent purchase of fighter planes was a “unilateral” decision by the Prime Minister. Moves by the previous UPA government for defence purchases had come under strong resistance from the BJP leaders, she claimed.
She said defence purchase from France were not in the best interests of the country as there was no technology transfer involved.
The present Jan Dhan programme had been introduced by the UPA government as the Swabhiman programme for financial inclusion. Similarly, the skill development programme was also a UPA initiative, she said.
Mr. Modi who sold himself as a visionary was now following the policies of the previous UPA government, she said, and claimed that the Modi government had failed both the common man and the industrialists.
