FM Sitharaman Was Obliged To Spell Out Steps To Moderate Prices, Create Jobs But She Did Not: Chidambaram

On being questioned about the timing of Congress’ protest against inflation to coincide with Ram Temple Foundation Day, as alleged by Union Minister Amit Shah, Chidambaram refuted the claim.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her reply to the debate on price rise in Parliament in which she had said that India does not face any risk of either recession or stagflation as its macroeconomic fundamentals are "perfect". Referring to her response, he said that no one from the Opposition hinted at an impending recession or stagflation and these were set up by the government like "straw men" so that the government can shoot them down. 

"Our concerns were rising prices and rampant unemployment. The twin factors have placed an unbearable burden on the poor and the middle class. The finance minister was obliged to spell out the steps that the government intended to take to moderate prices and to create jobs. The FM did not," Chidambaram said during an interview with news agency PTI. 

The senior Congress leader also criticised Sitharaman’s comparison with other countries terming it as “odious”. 

"The burden of inflation is always relative to income and savings. If a country like the US has high inflation, please remember that Americans also have a high per capita income and high savings. In a country like India with a low per capita income (less than USD 2,000) and low savings, high inflation places an intolerable burden on the people," he said.

On being questioned about the timing of Congress’ protest against inflation to coincide with Ram Temple Foundation Day, as alleged by Union Minister Amit Shah, Chidambaram refuted the claim saying that the anniversary of the 'Shilanyas' was "far from our mind" when the date for the protest was fixed.

"Moreover, it was on August 5, 2019 that the illegal dismembering of Jammu and Kashmir took place! Let's leave these aside when discussing a serious issue," Chidambaram said.

The former Finance Minister refused to comment on any particular case regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s probe against several leaders but asserted that it was increasingly and abundantly clear that the powers of investigation and the laws were directed only at members of the Opposition.

"Institutions have been tamed or emasculated or captured. Democracy is gasping for breath. We may have the shell of democracy, but inside, the shell has been hollowed out. This applies to almost all institutions, which is what Shri Rahul Gandhi alluded to in his reply (at the press conference Friday)," he said.

With Parliament unable to transact much business during the Monsoon session due to frequent adjournments amid logjam between Opposition and treasury benches over a host of issues including price rise, Chidambaram said he is "veering to the painful conclusion that Parliament has become dysfunctional".