Cong leader claims that Modi govt has no moral authority to speak on corruption
Mumbai : Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken lambasted the Modi government at centre over various issues here on Monday.
“BJP has no moral right to speak on corruption when it had not made appointments of CVC, CIC, Lokpal,” Maken said here responding to BJP’s claim that there has been no charge of corruption since the Modi government took over.
Maken further said if the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) performs its audits in a free and fair manner about the first year in office, the reports would be out next year. “The government is also talking about removing cabinet secretariat and the PMO from the ambit of RTI,” the former Union Minister claimed.
“There is no answer from the Centre to questions of why the purchase of 18 Rafale fighter aircrafts from France and production of remaining 108 aircrafts from HAL through a transfer of technology agreement envisaged by the previous UPA government has changed to procurement of 36 fighter planes bypassing rules,” he said.
“Similarly, the government is not answering what has happened to the agreement to manufacture 108 aircrafts by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),” the Congress leader said.
Maken also accused the Modi government of bypassing established “Defence Procurement procedure” and “defence acquisition council” to unilaterally order 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts from France with no clarity on transfer of technology or their production in India by HAL.
“Modi government converted one of biggest aircraft manufacturing deals running into billions of dollars from ‘Make in India’ to ‘Make in France’,” he alleged.
“Despite pitching ‘Make in India’ initiative at every opportune moment, it remains just a slogan,” Maken said.
“The Centre has done nothing to address the challenges of building global competitiveness in manufacturing demands, restructuring of inverted tax structure, levelling the high costs of inputs and resolving crucial logistics issues,” he said.
Making light of Modi consulting economists and industry-watchers about a new economic blueprint for India after assuming power, Maken said, “A year has since passed by and the economic blueprint has turned out to be a ‘Headline Management Print’.”
He said the average prices of tur dal, urad dal, moong dal, masoor dal and onion has seen a rise of 15 to 28 per cent in the last one year.
