Congress today slammed Narendra Modi’s economic policies claiming ‘Modinomics’ meant “giving land to Adanis in return for money” while BJP shot back saying its prime ministerial candidate believed in giving to the last man facilities “we in Delhi take for granted”.
Participating in a debate at the India Today Conclave, Union minister Kapil Sibal and BJP leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje listed their party policies and criticised each other’s claims of achievements.
Sibal attacked Modi over his economic policies which, he said, was about “giving land to Adanis and receiving funds for his campaign”.
Talking about ‘Sonianomics’, a term used to describe the UPA’s stress on welfarism, he said the government was equally committed to growth.
“Unless there is growth, there can be no Sonianomics… and with growth there must be Sonianomics,” he said.
Raje said people are “very very angry” with the Centre and blasted the UPA’s welfare policies saying these have resulted in wastage of public money.
“Point is that expectations of the people are very high. There is whole media revolution that has taken place… A person who lives in a jhuggi jhopri has a mobile phone in his hands. He sees what others are getting outside that environment…,” Sibal said.
“In fact they deserve much better and they are entitled to raise their voice. Therefore it is not against Congress… We don’t know what we have done in the last 10 years, which is phenomenal, has actually impacted the people. We will know on May 16 (counting of votes),” he said.
Raje contested development figures reeled out by Sibal and said it ultimately boiled down to the “happiness quotient” of people with governments which shows up in every five years when they go out to vote.
“Look at what MNREGA has done to the people. I think by know everybody knows. This has been a failure at the state level. You can’t find labourers to go to the fields. People are being given doles… They don’t work anymore. You have taught people to be lazy and not to work,” she said.