Indian economy in ICU: Congress

TRICHY

: The Congress has slammed the Union

government

for the economic slowdown and expressed concern over the “steady decline in economy” under the Narendra Modi-led dispensation.

“IMF has clearly indicated that the growth rate as against the expected figure of 7% is likely to be 4.8 % which also renowned economists have pointed out as a bloated figure. The reality is, it could be 4.2 %. In simple words, Indian economy under Modi government is in the ICU,” the party’s Tamil Nadu in-charge, Sanjay Dutt, said here on Tuesday.

He was addressing a press meet during interaction with party functionaries on the upcoming local body elections. Dutt said instead of taking corrective measures to revive the economy, the BJP-led government was trying to prop up issues like NRC and taking steps to create polarisation and deflect the attention of the country.

He also criticized the Union government for cutting budgetary allocation for education. “In 2014, the percentage of budget earmarked for

education

was 4.6 %. Today, it is only 3.4 %,” he said adding that a parent’s average spending on education of his child in 2014 was Rs 6,788 whereas in 2018 it had gone up to Rs 9,311, an increase of 27 %. Taking a dig at PM Modi for not revealing his educational qualification, Sanjay Dutt asked him as to what moral authority Modi had to discuss education and measures about examination with students.

On the victory of the DMK-Congress alliance in the rural local body elections in the state, Dutt said, “Despite three MMMs (money, muscle and manipulation) being used by AIADMK government, the people of Tamil Nadu have given a significant mandate in favour of the DMK-Congress secular progressive alliance.”