No open tenders – Congress style, propounds FM Nirmala, calls Rahul ‘doomsday man’

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, Feb 13, was at her debating best. She used the occasion of Budget discussions debate and sincerely pushed her point driving home the message about Indian economy and also the hollowness of politics of Rahul Gandhi, the self-styled virtuous and know all ‘doomsday man’.

Making a distinction of how things were under Congress and how things have been shaped by the Modi government, Ms Sitharaman waxed eloquent – “Who are our cronies? Our cronies are the common ‘janta’ (people) of this country”. .

“Where are the cronies? They’re hiding probably in the shadow of that party which has been rejected by the people (a reference to the Congress). The shadows who were invited to even develop a port… they were invited. No open tenders, no global tenders,” she retorted.

.. these two tendencies of the Congress… makes it clear their belief in a democratic system is finished… he (Rahul Gandhi) is probably becoming a doomsday man for India,” she said. Amid repeated thumping of desks, country’s first fulltime Finance Minister also attacked Rahul Gandhi and his party for “U-turns” in their support of farmers’ stir vis-a-vis the three laws.

With regard to contentious APMC markets or Mandis as a fallout of the new agrarian laws, Ms Sitharaman said – ” He (Mr Gandhi) was speaking as they had been… They (the new laws) are also helping improve the condition of APMCs. He (Mr Gandhi) is insulting everyone… whether President, Prime Minister or Speaker… constantly lying and insulting the country”.

Ms Sitharaman’s outburst had left the Congress party on backfoot. Political observers know pretty well that the entire political approach of Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president, has been based on negativity.

Be it demonstration or introduction of revolutionary GST norms or India’ response to nefarious roles of Pakistan and China, a ‘political failure’ himself has always slammed the initiatives – some of which like GST and farm reforms laws were part of efforts and promises of the erstwhile Congress regimes.

In 2017, making Surat a launching pad on the eve of elections in traders’ paradise Gujarat, he had even called GST – the Gabbar Singh Tax.

Rahul was rewarded with favourable headlines in tabloid varieties of newspapers and some known anti-Modi TV channels while BJP could win all 10 assembly seats in Surat region.

Rahul Gandhi’s rhetorics were equally full of negativity on other issues like the handling of Covid19 crisis in 2020.

Mr ‘Doomsday man’ and his cronies failed to understand or deliberately look the other way that the ‘crown prince’ is himself only a negative man and people of India including minorities like Christians in the northeast or his voters in Amethi have rejected his ‘doomsday’ prophecy time and again.