New Delhi: Attacking the Modi government on the state of the economy, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the current dispensation does not acknowledge the word "slowdown" and the real danger is that if problems are not recognised, then finding credible answers to take corrective action is unlikely.

Addressing a gathering at the launch of Montek Singh Ahluwalia's book "Backstage", Singh said the former planning commission deputy chairman has written about the good as well as the weak points of the UPA government.

"I think these issues will be debated and should be debated because we have today a government that does not acknowledge that there is such a word as slowdown. I think this is not good for our country," the former prime minister said.

"If you do not recognise the problems that you face, you are not likely to find credible answers to take corrective action. That is the real danger," he said, attacking the government on the state of the economy.

The book will be of great help to the future growth of the country, Singh said.

"Montek has also pointed out that contrary to what the ruling group may say, today the USD 5 trillion economy by 2024-25 is wishful thinking. Also there is no reason to expect that farmers income will be doubled in a three- year period," he said.

Singh also hailed the role played by former prime minister Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram and Ahluwalia for supporting his liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s and enabling him to carry out the reforms despite resistance from different quarters.

 

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Chandigarh (PTI): The Congress on Thursday announced candidates for eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in Haryana, fielding former Union minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and youth leader Divyanshu Budhiraja, besides two sitting MLAs.

The party has also fielded former MP Jai Prakash and leaders Satpal Brahmachari and Mahendra Pratap, according to the list released late Thursday evening.

The Congress is contesting nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. It has not yet announced its candidate for the Gurugram constituency.

The Aam Aadmi Party, a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, will contest the Kurukshetra seat.

Congress general secretary and former Union minister Selja will contest from the Sirsa (reserved) seat and sitting MLAs Varun Choudhary and Rao Dan Singh from the Ambala (reserved) and the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Deepender Hooda, son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will enter the fray from Rohtak. He has represented the Rohtak parliamentary constituency three times in the past.

Jai Prakash has been fielded from Hisar, the Congress' Haryana youth wing president Divanshu Budhiraja from Karnal, Satpal Brahmachari from Sonipat and Mahendra Pratap from Faridabad.