Kapil Sibal hits out at PM Modi

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday said that the idea of demonetisation, adopted by the Government in 2016, had crippled the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

"The great leder after 2014 gave us demonetisation where we lost 1.5 per cent of GDP. In any country he would have had to resign. Here is a man with a majority in the Parliament and what has he done for the last four years, in terms of economic growth and liberalisation," Sibal said.

Sibal also allayed charges by Prime Minister Modi that the policies adopted by then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government under former prime minister Manmohan Singh stalled India's progress.

"He charged us that because of the policy paralysis, we couldn't take India forward. But, this 'policy-paralysis' brought 8.2% of the GDP which never happened in the history of this country. Was this a result of policy paralysis? Then, where is the GDP today," Sibal asked as he addressed a press conference during his book launch 'Shades of Truth - A Journey Derailed'.

The book launch held at Teen Murti Bhawan in New Delhi was attended by Dr. Manmohan Singh and former Vice-President Hamid Ansari. The other guests of honour included P Chidambaram, Sitaram Yechury, Chandan Mitra and Sharad Yadav.