BJP is India's biggest Non Performing Asset: Congress

The Congress Party on Friday said the released figures of the Indian economy clearly say that the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has become India's biggest Non Performing Asset (NPA).

The latest economy figures show that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has fallen to a three-year low of 7.1 percent in 2016-17.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi launched a series of attacks on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government.

"Seeing the kind of figures released for the Indian economy, and the reactions of the finance minister, it is fair enough to say that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become India's biggest NPA (Non Performing Asset)," said Singhvi.

He further targeted the government's slogan 'the ease of doing business' and said, "The ease of doing the business appears to have become cease of doing business."

In an indirect reference to Prime Minister Modi, Singhvi said, "The lion who was roaring 'Make in India' appears to be snoozing."

The Congress leader lamented that Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have not answered pointed questions posed by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

"Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi asked pointed questions from the prime minister about his vision of Make in India, about the reality on the ground of Make in India. In particular about the state of farmers and farmers' distress in India. We continue to have eloquent silence from the Prime Minister, who is on his travels abroad. Instead, we have a series of ambiguities, generalities and vague reassurances by the finance minister," he added.

The Congress leader termed yesterday's press conference by Jaitley as "utter confusion, perplexity, hypocrisy, bewilderment, and even bemusement".

"First of all, there is no specific answer to the pointed question how The GDP is down to 6.1 percent. Secondly, there is no frank, regret, sorrow, or apology that this is exactly they were told by all of us in November and onwards from last year. Thirdly, there is no answer to the questions in yesterday's press conference, not even answer to the basic question," said Singhvi.

The Congress leader mocked the Finance Minister for his clarifications in the press conference.

"The best answer was that 'the demonetization can't be identified as a sole reason for low GDP growth. Then, the second answer was seven to eight per cent is a reasonable area of growth. Your Central Statistics Office figures, not ours, shows six percent equal to seven to eight per cent. The third answer we heard was that 'global factors'. "

The Congress leader said, "We didn't have the fourth and fifth answer which we hear the government and finance minister give for every issue- legacy factors and the Congress is to be blamed."

Questioning whether these are the answers that the country is supposed to get, Singhvi said, "Is this the accountability that this government is supposed to give? The truth is sad, the truth is opposite, and the truth is deplorable."

Singhvi also lambasted the BJP led Mahrashtra GOvernment, and said the state government's response to the farmers' woes clearly suggest that it is not going to inrease the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of farmers' produce.

Farmers in Maharashtra are protesting demanding complete loan waiver of the farmers and implementation of the Swaminathan Committee's recommendation about fixing price of agricultural produce.