New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday slammed the Congress manifesto as “a charter to weaken India.”
He told a press conference and also tweeted that “after reading Cong manifesto, my worst fears have come true.” “The repeal of Section 124A of the IPC, dilution of AFSPA and the norm — “bail is the rule, jail is the exception” — for terrorists and hard core criminals will compromise national security,” he said.
Jaitley also faulted the Congress promise of talks with Kashmiri leaders without pre-conditions. “After having been spurned on various occasions by those who want to settle for nothing other than cessation from India, it is shocking that the Congress promises to have a continuous dialogue with them,” he said.
On the Congress manifesto vowing that nothing will be done or allowed to change the constitutional position on Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir, Jaitley reiterated his stand that “Congress is the principal creator of the J&K problem.” “It created special status; it unconstitutionally brought in Article 35A.
A reference to “Kashmiri Pandits” and their ethnic cleansing is conspicuously absent in the manifesto,” he said. He said: “The Congress manifesto undermines national security and has sham and bluff promises with little detailed understanding of the subjects involved. It is an irresponsible document which will never be implemented since Congress looks a certain loser.”
Jaitley said his contention that NYAY of Congress is an all-time big bluff has come true as it has now become a joint scheme of the central and the state governments, thereby diluting the initial announcement that it will be over and above existing schemes.
He also ridiculed the Congress claim that the economy will grow to fund money for NYAY over the years. He warned that the state governments may suggest that their existing subsidies are more than what Congress promises. Jaitley also faulted the Congress for promising single rate GST.
“This effectively means that luxury items, Aam Aadmi commodities, and food items, all should be taxed at the same rate.” “Rahul Gandhi got this wisdom from Singapore which has no poverty. So, the manifesto does not care about the poor,” he said in a tweet.
