Congress questions Finance Minister’s interest in tackling inflation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is more interested in Uranus and Pluto than tackling inflationary trends, the Congress said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference a day after the government released the latest inflation figures, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh took a dig at Ms. Sitharaman for tweeting pictures of the galaxy taken by NASA’s James Webb telescope instead of sharing her plan for containing inflation.

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“She has an interest in Pluto, Jupiter and Uranus. Unfortunately, our Finance Minister is showing the way to Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter and is unable to show the way forward to our economy,” Mr. Vallabh told reporters.

The Congress spokesperson also accused the Modi government of polarising society and creating divides instead of dealing with rising inflation, unemployment and a depreciating Rupee.

“It has become very evident in the last eight years where the focus of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government has been. Polarisation and disharmony have taken a front seat whereas distressing issues such as rising inflation, unemployment and depreciating Rupee are nowhere on its agenda. The country witnessed the highest unemployment in the last 45 years,” he alleged.

Mr. Vallabh also alleged that the BJP has brought about a “doom” with the “7s” — retail inflation is at 7.01 per cent; Reserve Bank of India’s projection for inflation is 7.4% for the next quarter; unemployment is at 7.8%; and the Rupee depreciated 7% versus the American dollar in the last six months.

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“While these are worrying data points, the BJP government is in deep slumber,” he said, adding, ”What has the government done to bring relief to the common Indian as far as inflation is concerned…increasing GST (Goods and Services Tax) on items such as flour will only propel inflation.”

“Any government can bring relief to the common mass only when sympathy leads over apathy. The ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) are not tools that bring relief. Unless the BJP government moves beyond petty politics and starts looking beyond ED politics, common Indians will continue suffering,” Mr. Vallabh alleged.