INDIA alliance has no nationalistic thinking: Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal. Pic/PTI

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday attacked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on his speech a day earlier, stating that the INDI alliance has no nationalistic thinking and no positive agenda to offer to the people of the country.

Goyal, who is also the commerce and industry minister, said Gandhi made all baseless claims during his speech.

The country's economy was in bad shape when the Modi government took charge in 2014, he said.

Gandhi on Monday said an atmosphere of fear prevails all around with a group of six trapping the entire country in a 'chakravyuh' and promised that the INDIA bloc will break it.

"Very clearly, the speech of Mr Rahul Gandhi yesterday (Monday) demonstrated that just to cast aspersions or make certain barbs on constitutional authorities and persons in the country, he has clearly showed that the so-called INDI alliance, UPA in its new name, has no nationalist thinking and except for making irrational claims and demands, (they) have no positive agenda to offer to the people of India," Goyal told reporters.

Goyal added that the Lok Sabha Speaker had to repeatedly tell the Leader of Opposition to maintain the dignity of the House and not to make baseless claims.

The minister added that Gandhi's speech has only demonstrated the hollow thinking of the UPA.

Goyal said when the UPA was in power, it did not implement the legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers -- an issue that is raised often both inside and outside the House.

He added that the Modi government inherited a weak economy and weak fundamentals from the UPA regime.

But with the series of measures, the NDA government pushed India's economy from fragile five to the top five economies of the world and soon "we will become the third largest".

He alleged that the UPA government did nothing during its ten-year rule. They (UPA) brought the country and people to their knees in terms of quality of life, equity, inclusive growth and welfare of farmers, Goyal said, adding, "We saw crony capitalism at its worst with series of corruption scandals".

Both the (Gandhi) family and the party are completely bereft of the facts, the minister alleged.

But the Modi government, he said, strengthened the Indian economy and now the world is looking at India as a beacon of hope.

On Gandhi's allegation with regard to tax terrorism, the commerce minister said through retrospective taxation, the UPA regime weakened India as an investment destination.

He added that procurement of paddy and wheat has jumped multiple times during the NDA regime.

"Sadly it is Mr Rahul Gandhi through his irresponsible statements... childish and fake narrative that he seeks to present with a broken track record of governance and failed economic policies which almost brought India to its knees," Goyal said.

On Gandhi's 'Halwa' statement, the minister said it was in bad taste and "I condemn this".

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