Hyderabad, November 02: TDP stepped up its attack on AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi over the microfinance institutions (MFIs) issue, a day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah sought to defend the Amethi MP.
“Rahul Gandhi heaped praise on microfinance institutions like SKS. Is it because SKS’ profits surged from as low as Rs two crore in 2008 to Rs 174 crore now? Is it for the same reason that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi honoured SKS chief Vikram Akula with the best entrepreneur award?” TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu questioned.
In a statement issued here, Yanamala termed as absurd Rosaiah’s claim that Rahul requested him to ensure that women got loans from MFIs at a reasonable rate of interest.
“What is Rahul’s motive in making such a request to the Chief Minister when it is for the Government of India and the Reserve Bank to regulate the interest rates charged by MFIs? It is apparently to sidetrack the burning issue,” he alleged.
“It is ridiculous that Rahul chose to request the Chief Minister to bring down the interest rates charged by MFIs instead of prevailing upon his mother Sonia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the RBI to do the same,” he added.
The ordinance promulgated by the state government had no mention about the interest rates while the Centre made it clear that the state had no authority to regulate the interest rates, the TDP leader said.
“But the Chief Minister claims that Rahul Gandhi called him over phone seeking a cap on the interest rates. All this not only proves that neither the Centre nor the state is sincere about reining in unscrupulous MFIs but also establishes that the two governments are trying to shield them,” Yanamala alleged.
The TDP politburo member demanded that the state government publish a white paper on the MFIs’ activities, loaning process, interest rates, administrative charges and the profits earned since their establishment.
Yanamala also came down on Sonia Gandhi saying corruption had become deep-rooted at the Centre as well as party-ruled states ever since she took over reigns of the Congress.
“Be it the rice exports scandal, 2G Spectrum scandal, IPL, Commonwealth Games scandal at the national level and the multi-lakh crore scandals that surfaced in Andhra Pradesh as well as the recent Adarsh Society scandal in Maharashtra… corruption has been growing by leaps and bounds. But why is the Centre not ordering a CBI probe into these issues when it is doing so in states ruled by non-Congress parties?” Yanamala questioned.
–PTI