The United Progressive Alliance had launched many new programmes, new schemes. We had put in place many new policies. We had enacted many new laws. This has led to profound social transformation and unprecedented economic growth as well. Many of our programmes are now being marketed as initiatives of the Modi government. What the Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed when we were in power is now being sold as its contribution. But this doesn’t surprise us. This is the compliment the BJP could pay to the constructive work done by the UPA government.
Aspirations today are in flux. New communication technologies are creating new expectations. Rajiv ji ushered India into the modern Information Technology age, but as a party we have not been able to take full advantage of the opportunity that has arisen. Our political opponents appear to have left us behind in this area. We have and we must fill up this gap, we have much catching up to do and not much time to lose.
Institutions of democracy are under threat. The entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled under the guise of promoting faster economic growth, whereas they are two sides of the same coin. The past is continually being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view of history. Dissent is being suppressed. The Congress party has strived hard to ensure that India flourished as an open, pluralistic, liberal, secular Democracy, proud of its composite heritage. This very idea of India is now under systematic assault.
Two themes
I shall now say a few words about what is being said by the BJP about the performance of our government and what they have sought to achieve in the one year that they have been in office. There are two constant themes of the BJP’s leadership. One, that the UPA was a very corrupt government. I want to assure you that we have been fighting corruption, we will continue to fight corruption and that there will be no compromise on corruption.
As far as I am myself concerned I can say in all humility that I have not used my public office to enrich myself, to enrich my family or to enrich my friends. And still the BJP government keeps on harping on the theme of corruption, just because it wants to detract the attention of people to non-issues.
The other thing the BJP constantly keeps on talking about is that there was a policy paralysis during UPA government. This is also totally untrue. When we left office, in 2014, in the past ten years our economy had grown at an average annual rate of 8.5%. This is an all time record. When we left office we were the second fastest growing economy in the world, after China.
Modifying data
In the last one year, BJP government had to manufacture, modify some statistical data to show that this last one year has not been that bad for the economy. But their own people are of the view that the recovery that they talk about is a very fragile recovery. The Chief Economic Advisor of the Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, both have been of the view that the recovery is fragile. And indeed if you look at the harsh reality you will find that all is not well with the state of our economy under the BJP dispensation. Look at what is happening to investment. Investment is not going up. Look at what is happening to agricultural production. Agricultural production is declining. Our farmers are in distress. Look at exports. Exports are declining. Throughout the country there is an acute distress in rural areas. 65% of our people live in rural areas and if they are dissatisfied, if they are fed up with this present regime in one year, then obviously things cannot be that rosy.
So what I am saying is that all of us have an obligation to give correct information to our people, what is wrong with the BJP government, the false talk of the BJP on UPA.
Look at the issue of "Make in India". What is this "Make in India"? This is carbon copy of the programme that our government had chalked out as the New Manufacturing Policy, under which we had pledged that we will raise the share of manufacturing in total national income to 25% of our GDP. In all these areas the UPA said we will do better than ever before and we have done. We have revitalized expanded educational facilities for the masses, both for higher education as well as for lower and primary education. We launched a National Rural Health Mission to take rural health services to the masses in rural areas. We launched the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. We have nothing but to be proud of our achievements.
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Aspirations today are in flux. New communication technologies are creating new expectations. Rajiv ji ushered India into the modern Information Technology age, but as a party we have not been able to take full advantage of the opportunity that has arisen. Our political opponents appear to have left us behind in this area. We have and we must fill up this gap, we have much catching up to do and not much time to lose.
Institutions of democracy are under threat. The entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled under the guise of promoting faster economic growth, whereas they are two sides of the same coin. The past is continually being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view of history. Dissent is being suppressed. The Congress party has strived hard to ensure that India flourished as an open, pluralistic, liberal, secular Democracy, proud of its composite heritage. This very idea of India is now under systematic assault.
Two themes
I shall now say a few words about what is being said by the BJP about the performance of our government and what they have sought to achieve in the one year that they have been in office. There are two constant themes of the BJP’s leadership. One, that the UPA was a very corrupt government. I want to assure you that we have been fighting corruption, we will continue to fight corruption and that there will be no compromise on corruption.
As far as I am myself concerned I can say in all humility that I have not used my public office to enrich myself, to enrich my family or to enrich my friends. And still the BJP government keeps on harping on the theme of corruption, just because it wants to detract the attention of people to non-issues.
The other thing the BJP constantly keeps on talking about is that there was a policy paralysis during UPA government. This is also totally untrue. When we left office, in 2014, in the past ten years our economy had grown at an average annual rate of 8.5%. This is an all time record. When we left office we were the second fastest growing economy in the world, after China.
Modifying data
In the last one year, BJP government had to manufacture, modify some statistical data to show that this last one year has not been that bad for the economy. But their own people are of the view that the recovery that they talk about is a very fragile recovery. The Chief Economic Advisor of the Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, both have been of the view that the recovery is fragile. And indeed if you look at the harsh reality you will find that all is not well with the state of our economy under the BJP dispensation. Look at what is happening to investment. Investment is not going up. Look at what is happening to agricultural production. Agricultural production is declining. Our farmers are in distress. Look at exports. Exports are declining. Throughout the country there is an acute distress in rural areas. 65% of our people live in rural areas and if they are dissatisfied, if they are fed up with this present regime in one year, then obviously things cannot be that rosy.
So what I am saying is that all of us have an obligation to give correct information to our people, what is wrong with the BJP government, the false talk of the BJP on UPA.
Look at the issue of "Make in India". What is this "Make in India"? This is carbon copy of the programme that our government had chalked out as the New Manufacturing Policy, under which we had pledged that we will raise the share of manufacturing in total national income to 25% of our GDP. In all these areas the UPA said we will do better than ever before and we have done. We have revitalized expanded educational facilities for the masses, both for higher education as well as for lower and primary education. We launched a National Rural Health Mission to take rural health services to the masses in rural areas. We launched the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. We have nothing but to be proud of our achievements.
