Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of making unfounded claims and lacking the necessary qualifications to discuss India's economy.
This came after Gandhi's speech in which he criticised the country's manufacturing sector and linked its decline to China's growing dominance.
In his address during the Motion of Thanks on the President's speech, Rahul Gandhi suggested that India's failure to invest in manufacturing had allowed China to become the dominant global manufacturing power, leaving India far behind.
He argued that India was now a consumption-driven economy, benefitting only a few businessmen, while China had established itself as a leader in key industrial sectors.
Sitharaman responded strongly to these claims, describing Gandhi's remarks as an example of “stupid self-confidence.” She accused the Congress party of having neglected India's manufacturing sector during their ten-year rule in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
She questioned the Congress over a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with China during its tenure, asking why the party had not revealed the contents of the agreement or discussed China's territorial claims over Kashmir and Ladakh during the Congress rule.
In a direct counter to Gandhi's assertion that India’s shift towards consumption-driven growth would only benefit a select few, Sitharaman remarked that his comments were unqualified and lacking substance.
She pointed out that while Gandhi was quick to criticise, the Congress had done little to improve India’s industrial capabilities when it had the chance.
Sitharaman also responded to Gandhi's comments on the technological challenges India faces, particularly in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Gandhi had argued that AI was meaningless without access to critical production data, which, according to him, China controlled.
He further claimed that in the event of a war with China, India would be reliant on Chinese-made components such as electric motors, batteries, and optics.
Defending India's manufacturing progress, Sitharaman highlighted the significant strides made in sectors such as smartphone manufacturing. She pointed out that during the Congress-led government, no substantial steps were taken to develop such industries.
In fact, she said, the BJP government had spent years cleaning up the mess left behind by the previous administration.
Sitharaman also hit back at Gandhi’s claim about job creation under the current and previous governments. Gandhi had asserted that both the UPA and NDA had failed to address unemployment, a statement that Sitharaman vehemently denied.
She highlighted the economic challenges faced during the UPA era, including mass losses in the banking sector, company closures, and an overall economic standstill. According to her, the Congress had left the economy in disarray, and it was only under the current government that progress had been made.
In her interview, the Finance Minister described how the country had progressed economically under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
She contrasted the achievements of the current government with the state of affairs during the UPA rule, noting that India had moved from being "fifth from the bottom" in global rankings to its current position of fifth overall, with an expected rise to third in the near future.
Sitharaman also responded to Gandhi’s accusations about China’s territorial encroachment in India. While Gandhi claimed that China was now sitting on more than 4,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, Sitharaman dismissed these claims, reiterating the government’s stance that no land had been lost.
She further questioned Gandhi's authority to comment on such matters, especially given his party's history of dealing with national security and economic issues.
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