New Delhi:A day after his release from Tihar jail, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram launched a scathing attack on the government for economic mismanagement, calling the slowdown “a man-made catastrophe."
“Government is clueless on the economy; it is stubborn, mulish in defending catastrophic mistakes like demonetisation and flawed GST,” said the former finance minister.
Chidambaram said the Congress was better equipped to pull the economy out of slowdown, but “we have to wait for better times”.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been unusually silent on the economy and had left it to his ministers to indulge in “bluff and bluster.”
“Economy can be brought out of slowdown, but this government incapable of doing that,” he added.
Chidambaram said there was “fear everywhere, the media is also gripped with fear” alluding to industrialist Rahul Bajaj's remarks.
“Even after seven months of this fiscal, BJP govenment believes the problems faced by economy are cyclical. Government is wrong,” said Chidambaram addressing media persons at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.
He also spoke of the situation in Kashmir, saying: “As I breathed the air of freedom last night, my first prayers were for the people of Kashmir who have been denied basic freedom.” He said he intended to visit J-K if the government would allow him.
Chidambaram also said the Congress would oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill when it comes up in Parliament next week.
Commenting on the withdrawal of SPG cover to the Gandhis, Chidambaram said the family had accepted the situation gracefully that it is "a cross the government has to bear."