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Yashwant Sinha sticks to his guns as BJP rebuts his criticism of economy

Published

8 years ago

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sinha yashwant

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Yashwant Sinha on Thursday stood by the article in which he had criticised Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for making a mess of the economy and followed it up with further, specific details of lapses on the part of the government.

Sinha, speaking to ANI on Thursday, said, “We have all known for many days that the Indian economy has been seeing a decline… This process has been going for the past one-and-a-half years… Even then I kept silent.. The latest GDP figures came out and growth rate fell below 6% and the concerns grew deeper. The government didn’t say anything for over a week, then I felt that I should bring the issue to the public domain.”

“Before 2014, I was the party [BJP) spokesperson when it came to economic affairs. We used to call then United Progressive Alliance [UPA] government situation ‘Policy Paralysis’. This government is not paralysed as many decisions are being taken. But, there is confusion in the government that development can be done through welfare schemes, which is not right,” he said to news agency ANI.

“I am not talking just based on one quarter’s numbers, the economy has been falling for six straight quarters,” said Sinha.

The biggest culprit that made a bad situation near-catastrophic is demonetisation, said Sinha who had called the move “an unmitigated economic disaster” in his column.

“The biggest culprit for growth slowing is the note ban. A thorough study should have been done on its effects to the economy, to jobs and it should have been introduced when the economy was in a healthy state, not in the manner it was introduced,” said Sinha.

As for GST, Sinha had written that its rollout was “badly conceived and poorly implemented”. He reiterated that today. “After the demonetisation shocker, GST was another one. What was the need to hurry? They could have launched it in October,” said Sinha.

“Demonetisation shouldn’t have been brought when economy was weak. Its effects were yet to subside and GST served as second big blow,” Sinha said. “I was a supporter of GST. Govt was in a hurry to implement it from July. Now, GSTN which is the backbone is failing,” he said.

Responding to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s comments on Wednesday, saying that India was one of the fastest growing economies of the world, he said, “maybe Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal know the economy better so they think India is the backbone of the world economy. I politely disagree.”

“If you leave out Congress finance ministers then I am the only person who presented 7 budgets,” he said.

When asked about his son, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha’s editorial in the Times of India on Thursday being seen as a rebuttal of his own position, Yashwant Sinha said, “There is no family feud over this. I haven’t spoken to him recently. So I don’t know whether he was asked to write this or he wrote it on his own. In any case it is a demonstration that he is being trusted to put forward the government’s view on policy. Well and good, then why was he removed from the Finance Ministry.”

“It is not a father and son issue. If Jayant Sinha has written what he has, its his own sweet will. …If he has been asked, I would say it was a cheap trick to pit father against son. Haven’t spoken to him today,” he told NDTV.

His own prescriptions for the recovery of the Indian economy, he said, was to start from strengthening the banking system and weeding out the Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). “Apart from everything else, the first and foremost goal of the government is to strengthen the banks, but we are awaiting actions in this regard,” he said.

On claims by the government that its work would benefit the country in the long run, he responded by quoting John Maynard Keynes that “In the long run, we are all dead.”

Sinha, a veteran leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, earlier said poorly executed policy shifts had stalled growth. “Economies are destroyed more easily than they are built,” he wrote in The Indian Express on Wednesday.

He also absolved the previous, UPA government of responsibility for the current situation. “We can’t blame the government before us as we got the full chance,” he said.

Sinha told NDTV he had sought to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi a year ago, but was yet to hear back from his office about the appointment. “I had sought an appointment to meet the PM a year ago. He has not met me. Should I be sitting in protest outside his house,” Sinha said.

“No one is willing to listen to us in the government and the party,” he added.

Fielded to defend the government against him, Yashwant Sinha’s son Jayant Sinha said in a TOI piece on Thursday that conclusions drawn from a narrow set of facts simply missed the fundamental structural reforms transforming the economy. “We are creating a robust new economy that will power longterm growth and job creation”.

Jayant Sinha’s rebuttal piece talks about the ‘New India’ which will be built on the foundation of Modi’s economic policies. It argues that measures such as demonetisation and introduction of goods and services tax (GST) will act as building blocks by bringing in formalisation in the economy as a result of which a) tax collections will go up and more resources will be made available to the state; b) friction will reduce in the economy and GDP will rise; and c) citizens will be able to establish credit more effectively as transaction records are digitised.

He also talks about the improvement in FDI inflows from $36 billion in 2013-14 to $60 billion in 2016-17, the government’s various policy initiatives such as bankruptcy code, energy sector initiatives, subsidy reforms through Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile backed direct benefit transfer (DBT). Further, Sinha talks about the progress made on rural electrification, infrastructure push, employment promotion programmes of the Modi government.

But Jayant Sinha’s rebuttal does not answer his father’s criticism on specific issues which are borne out by data: “Private investment has shrunk as never before in two decades, industrial production has all but collapsed, agriculture is in distress, construction industry, a big employer of the work force, is in the doldrums, the rest of the service sector is also in the slow lane, exports have dwindled, sector after sector of the economy is in distress, demonetisation has proved to be an unmitigated economic disaster, a badly conceived and poorly implemented GST has played havoc with businesses and sunk many of them and countless millions have lost their jobs with hardly any new opportunities coming the way of the new entrants to the labour market.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Cried over Gaza, not a word on Bangladesh: Yogi Adityanath attacks opposition in UP Assembly

Yogi Adityanath criticised the opposition in the UP Assembly, accusing them of selective outrage over Gaza while remaining silent on violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 25, 2025

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Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Opposition during proceedings in the State Assembly, accusing rival parties of indulging in selective outrage and appeasement politics while remaining silent on incidents involving Hindus in neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh.

Referring to recent incidents across the border, the Chief Minister said the Opposition raises its voice on international issues selectively but avoids speaking out when minorities, especially Hindus, are targeted in nearby nations.

“You shed tears over developments in Gaza, but not a single word comes out when a Dalit youth is killed in Bangladesh,” Adityanath said in the Assembly, alleging that such silence exposes the Opposition’s political priorities.

The Chief Minister further claimed that incidents of violence against Hindus would not have occurred had Pakistan and Bangladesh not been created, reiterating that issues are often viewed through the prism of vote bank politics. He said candle marches are organised for global events, but killings of Hindus in Pakistan or Bangladesh do not evoke similar responses.

Adityanath also called for a condemnation resolution in the Assembly, stating that it should ideally come from the Leader of the Opposition. He said such a resolution should clearly condemn the killing and convey a warning to the Bangladesh government.

Allegations over illegal immigration

Targeting the Opposition on the issue of illegal immigration, the Chief Minister alleged that they support Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas. He claimed that when authorities take action to expel illegal immigrants, Opposition leaders come out in their defence, alleging that many of them have been facilitated with voter registrations and Aadhaar cards.

Meanwhile, tensions between India and Bangladesh have been visible following recent developments. India summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner for the second time in a week amid concerns arising from incidents in the neighbouring country.

The summons came in the backdrop of protests in Bangladesh following the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi and the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in separate incidents. Dipu Das, a 27-year-old youth from Mymensingh district, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy on December 18, and his body was later set on fire, triggering widespread outrage.

The Interim Government of Bangladesh condemned the incident. Education Adviser C R Abrar visited the bereaved family on behalf of the government, expressed condolences, and assured them of financial and welfare assistance. The Office of the Chief Adviser also reiterated its resolve to protect all citizens and ensure justice in the case.

The killing has once again raised concerns at the international level over the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh, with minority groups demanding strict action against those responsible.

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Jammu and Kashmir High Court rejects Mehbooba Mufti’s plea on undertrial prisoners, calls it politically motivated

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has rejected Mehbooba Mufti’s PIL on undertrial prisoners, stating it was politically motivated and lacked factual basis.

Published

3 days ago

on

December 24, 2025

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Mehbooba mufti

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti seeking the transfer of undertrial prisoners lodged in jails outside the Union Territory back to prisons within Jammu and Kashmir. The court termed the petition politically motivated, vague and unsupported by facts, observing that it was an attempt to derive political mileage rather than address a genuine public cause.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal made it clear that public interest litigation cannot be used as a tool to advance political agendas or convert courts into platforms for electoral positioning.

Court says PIL cannot become a political platform

In its observations, the High Court said the plea appeared aimed at projecting the petitioner as a champion of justice for a specific section, rather than raising substantiated legal concerns. The bench underlined that while political parties are free to engage with voters through democratic means, the judiciary must remain insulated from political campaigns.

The court reiterated that PIL jurisdiction is meant to safeguard public interest and not to be misused for electoral gain or political leverage. It cautioned against attempts to draw the judiciary into political narratives.

Undertrials have legal remedies, says court

In the 15-page order passed on Tuesday, the High Court noted that the undertrial prisoners mentioned in the petition are already facing trial before competent courts. According to the bench, adequate judicial remedies are available to such undertrials to raise grievances related to their detention or place of incarceration.

The court further observed that the failure of the concerned undertrials to approach courts on their own indicated that they may not be genuinely aggrieved by their confinement in prisons outside the Union Territory.

No locus standi, petition dismissed

Dismissing the plea, the High Court held that Mehbooba Mufti was a third-party stranger to the cause and therefore lacked the locus standi to invoke the court’s jurisdiction in this matter. The petition was described as misconceived and was rejected accordingly.

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BJP raises seat offer to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena to nearly 90 ahead of Mumbai civic polls, talks continue

The BJP has raised its seat offer to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena to nearly 90 for the upcoming BMC elections, but fresh talks are needed as differences persist within the Mahayuti.

Published

4 days ago

on

December 23, 2025

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With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections drawing closer, the seat-sharing tussle within the Mahayuti alliance continues, with the BJP increasing its offer to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena but failing to reach the party’s expectations.

According to sources, the BJP has now proposed close to 90 seats for the Shinde faction in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. This is a significant jump from its earlier offer of 52 seats but still falls short of what Shinde is seeking. The Shiv Sena leader has reportedly reduced his demand from an initial 125 seats to 112, yet remains dissatisfied with the latest formula.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to hold another round of discussions with Shinde to break the deadlock. Sources indicate that the BJP is unlikely to stretch its offer much further, especially after its strong showing in recent statewide local body elections.

BJP firm after strong local poll performance

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the recent local polls, securing 117 municipal president posts. In comparison, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 53 posts, while Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP secured 37. These results have strengthened the BJP’s negotiating position ahead of the BMC elections.

However, the current seat-sharing calculations could change if Ajit Pawar decides to contest the Mumbai civic polls as part of the alliance. Senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare confirmed that no final decision has been taken yet, noting that discussions with alliance partners are ongoing.

Nawab Malik factor complicates alliance talks

A major point of contention within the Mahayuti is the issue of senior NCP leader Nawab Malik, who is facing multiple corruption cases, including a money laundering case linked to underworld activities. While the alliance has made it clear that Malik is unacceptable as part of its Mumbai setup, Ajit Pawar is reportedly firm on backing him.

Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam has publicly stated that the party would not align with any group that includes Malik. Sources added that if the NCP joins the alliance in Mumbai, it may be asked to project a different leader and contest a limited number of seats.

BMC elections timeline

The countdown to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections has already begun, with less than a month left for polling. Voting is scheduled for January 15, with counting set to take place the following day. A total of 2,869 municipal seats will be contested, including 227 seats in the BMC.

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