Oppn labels BJP's White Paper political agenda aimed at gaining electoral points

New Delhi: The Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned the content and goal of the Narendra Modi government's White Paper on the Economy which was tabled in the parliament, which the Congress described as a political manifesto.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated at the end of the session of the debate on the "White Paper on Indian Economy and its Impact on the Lives of People of India" in the Lok Sabha, that this type of White Paper, which only seeks to tarnish the 10 years of the UPA government, does not cut it.

“It is nothing but an electoral manifesto with an objective of scoring electoral brownie point that has prompted you to bring this kind of White Paper,” Chowdhury said, Indian Express reported.

He spoke out against the BJP for targeting the Gandhi family and former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

“What gain do you derive from abusing a family and Nehru in every matter?…How would you have felt if another party comes to power and that party abused Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Modi ji? Would you like that? We do not want that to happen,” he said, adding that the Congress never speaks against former PM Vajpayee.

Congress MP Manish Tewari described the White Paper as a "political manifesto" and a "black brush" of the administration. He stated that UPA-enacted Acts such as the Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Food, and MGNREGA reinforced the country's social, political, and economic foundations.

According to DMK member V Kalanidhi, the Modi government made electoral promises in 2014, including creating two crore employment per year and halving petrol and gas costs. “After 10 years, you are submitting a White Paper where there is no mention about any of these things. This White Paper has no mention about demonetisation, its effects and what did it achieve,” Kalanidhi said.

Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy called demonetisation the biggest scam in history and stated that the finance minister should render an apology to the nation for demonetisation. Praising the UPA government for its schemes, “I am not saying that all was good in the UPA. But UPA implemented MGNREGA for the poor, the food security Act, RTI, Aadhaar.” He asked the government, “You show (me) what big step you have taken for (the) poor. Economic reforms have been stopped.”

IUML member ET Mohammed Basheer said the White Paper was actually the “paper for the BJP, by the BJP, of the BJP and for the election of the BJP.”

AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi stated that the average GDP growth rate under the UPA government was 6.8 per cent but during Modi’s term, it dipped to an average of 5.9 per cent.

“Who is responsible for this — China or Pakistan? This White Paper is more rhetoric than substance. Demonetisation ruined the poor but it is not mentioned in the White Paper,” he said.

Owaisi urged that the government release a White Paper detailing how many Muslims were slaughtered by mobs between 2014 and 2024, beginning with Mohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, how many houses were bulldozed, and whether China captured 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory.

“You had one Muslim wazir (minister) in 2014, but there is none at present,” Owaisi said.

Supriya Sule, an NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) member, referred to the White Paper as a "politically coloured paper" in which only the paper was white. She quoted data to suggest that the unemployment rate during the UPA rule was 2.2%, but it is now 6.6%.

JMM member Vijay Kumar Hansdak believes the government should produce a White Paper on the abuse of ED. “In Jharkhand, a Chief Minister was unseated forcibly. But Hemant Soren did not give up,” he said.