SCHEMES NOT FOR DAMAAD, BUT POOR: SITHARAMAN

Replying to the Budget debate and the Congress attack in Rajya Sabha on Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government schemes were only to benefit the poor and not for “some Damaad” (son-in-law in clear reference Robert Vadra). She slammed the Congress and other Opposition parties for their constant false narrative of the government working only for cronies, challenging them to prove it as most government schemes were for the poor.

In an apparent answer to Rahul Gandhi’s tweet PM Modi is planning to “handover India’s assets to crony capitalist friends” and claim “it’s crony-centric budget, no low-interest loans to struggling MSMEs, no GST relief,” the Finance Minister said the people will not buy such lies without any evidence. Although she did not take any name, her jibe clearly agitated the Congress leaders for a slur against their party president Sonia Gandhi even as she continued with her volleys at the opposition benches.

On the Congress ruckus, she hit back: “Damad, I didn’t think is the trademark of Indian National Congress. Damad har ghar mein hota hai. Magar Damad Indian National Congress mein ek specialised naam hai. (Sonin-laws are there in every household, but it is a specialised name in the Indian National Congress).”

“The digital transactions through UPI till January 2020 was over Rs3.6 lakh crore. UPI used by whom? — The Rich. No. Who are these people then? Is Government creating UPI, facilitating digital transactions to benefit rich cronies, some damaads? No. Middle class, smaller traders are the beneficiaries.”

The Congress resorted to shouts to object to her utterance, but Sitharaman was least disturbed as she said: “Loans sanctioned under Mudra Yojana — More than Rs27,000 crore. Who takes Mudra Yojana? Damaads?”

Meanwhile, LS Speaker Om Birla pulled up Congress group leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for believing in Rahul Gandhi but not trusting Defence Minister.