Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday, Sept 27th, credited the Modi government for rolling out infrastructural projects.
"It started with Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Golden Quadrilateral project. We vastly improved it and the Modi government carried it forward over 10 years," he said.
"Now, we have large companies, and they can handle bigger projects," said the former Finance Minister.
However, he accused the Modi government of institutional capture and neglect, flagging that environmental committees were 60-70% vacant. Chidambaram also pointed out that the poor were not being able to reap the benefits of infrastructural development.
"Unreserved compartments in sleeper class are being drastically cut to roll out Vande Bharat trains. Train fares have also been hiked by 30-40%. You build your highways where you can drive your Mercedes, but also build roads to villages," he said.
Speaking at 'India Today' Mumbai Conclave, Chidambaram punched holes into the government's claim that India was moving towards a cashless society even though he acknowledged that digital transactions have improved.
Chidambaram also claimed that the Modi government's "misuse of investigating agencies" was holding economic growth. The Congress leader also quipped that he would like to become the "minister of cleaning" to clean up the "monstrocities" the NDA has done to various parts of the government.
"Industrialists have a fear that somebody will knock on their doors at midnight. GST authorities are now arresting people and threatening them. If GST is going to become another ED and CBI... there is fear in the air," he said.
On November 8, 2016, the Modi government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes in a crackdown against the accumulation and circulation of black money in the country. The GST was rolled out the next year. In 2017 assembly polls in Gujarat, the GST was made a major issue by the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi called it the 'Gabbar Singh Tax'.
The BJP numbers dropped below 100 to 99 but was able to return to power.
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