Jaitley should write FB post on who is FM, says Congress
New Delhi, July 13 : Countering Union Minister Arun Jaitley, the Congress on Friday said he should write a Facebook post on who is Indias Finance Minister and about economic woes, while adding that it has become a "One Man-No government" situation.
The party also asked if the country under the Narendra Modi government has become a "banana republic".
Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress of giving only slogans to the poor and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given them resources which would ensure faster growth and faster removal of poverty.
"I would request Arun Jaitley to write a Facebook post on who is India's Finance Minister. That is the most important thing he needs to do. He must solve that mystery.
"He must clarify as to whether he is India's Finance Minister or it is Piyush Goyalji. At least people will know who is pushing the economy on the brink of such misery," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Surjewala also advised Jaitley to write a Facebook post on the economic woes that "Modinomics" has heaped upon India.
"Inflation reaching 5 to 6 per cent, Index of Industrial Production going down, exports going down from Rs 19 lakh crore to Rs 10 lakh crore.
"Gross Fixed Capital formation being static or reducing from about 31.5 to 28 per cent, fuel prices getting skyrocketed, import of cheaper fuel from countries like Iran getting reduced from 7,75,000 barrels a day to 5,25,000 barrels a day," he added.
He said: "As price of diesel goes up by 77 Paisa and price of petrol by one rupee, a hole is being dug in the pocket of the common man. GST getting more complicated by the day, refunds not being made available to exporters and input credits becoming one of the biggest nightmare that small traders and businesses face."
Surjewala said: "Ministers without portfolio speak about agriculture, AQgriculture Minister speaks on defence, Defence Minister talks about social justice and Social Justice Minister gives ‘gyan' on foreign policy.
"External Affairs minister (Sushma Swaraj) does not know how to save herself from trolls being followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What is happening? Is this a government or a banana republic?" he asked.
"Maximum governance was the original slogan that Modiji gave. Now it has become ‘One Man-No Government'," he added.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
