Amit Shah says global slowdown impacting Indian economy; praises Finance Minister
Mumbai, Dec 17: The global slowdown is impacting Indian economy, which has been growing at a slow pace for the last many quarters, but Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is handling it in a "very good manner," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the concluding day of the two-day Times Network India Economic Conclave 2019 here, he rejected allegations that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was brought by the BJP-led government to divert people's attention from economic issues and fall in GDP growth rate.
India's second-quarter GDP growth slowed sharply to 4.5 per cent, the weakest pace in more than six years, as manufacturing output hit a slump and consumer demand as well as private investment weakened.
"As far as the economy is concerned I have stated it many times that there is a global slowdown and it has been impacting India also," Shah said in response to a question on the economic slowdown.
He said Sitharaman is tackling the economy in a "very good manner" and added that the tax collection crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark in the previous month.
"Tax collection for this month is looking better," Shah added.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expansion rate in Q2 in FY20 moderated from 5 per cent recorded in April-June 2019 and is much weaker than the 7 per cent growth posted in July- September 2018, according to official data released last month.
The RBI has already revised GDP growth downwards to 5 per cent for 2019-20 from 6.1 per cent projected in its October policy while keeping the benchmark interest rates unchanged on concerns of headline inflation breaching its medium-term target despite a worrying slowdown in the economy.
In a sign of an economic slowdown, industrial production shrank for the third consecutive month in October by 3.8 per cent, mainly due to output fall in manufacturing, mining and electricity sectors, as per official data released last week.
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He's crazy person: Himanta on Rahul alleging Assam CM misused state power to harass opponents
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma threw a "crazy person" barb at Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday after the Congress leader accused him of "abusing state power to harass his political opponents and critics".
Sarma, who arrived at the airport here before proceeding to Puri to pray at the Jagannath Temple, challenged Gandhi to make his passport details public and reveal which countries the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha had visited.
His scathing remarks came after Gandhi termed Sarma "most corrupt in the country" and said the Congress stood with Pawan Khera, who has alleged that the Assam CM's wife has multiple passports and offshore properties, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit.
The Sarmas have rejected the allegations as false.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged, "The present CM of Assam is the most corrupt in the country. He will not escape the law. His abuse of state power to harass his political opponents and critics is against the Constitution."
"The questions that are being raised have to be probed. Transparency, accountability of power and the rule of law are the basis of our Constitutional values. The Congress stands with Pawan Khera. We will not be intimidated," he has said.
Responding to reporters' questions over Gandhi's remarks, Sarma said, "Let me make it very clear, neither I nor any member of my family has a golden visa, as alleged. Rahul Gandhi is a crazy person."
"I challenge Rahu Gandhi to present his passport in front of the media, and I will bring mine and those of my family members. Let the media know who is visiting which country," Sarma said.
The Assam chief minister also said that Rahul Gandhi "is not God". "If I make allegations against him, will he be ready for a probe into those? He should know that others, too, have the right to ask him questions."
Asked about the Supreme Court staying the Telangana High Court's order granting Kehra one-week transit anticipatory bail in the case registered for levelling allegations against Sarma's wife, the BJP leader said he was not aware of it.
"However, according to me, the Telangana High Court cannot grant transit bail to Khera as he is not a resident of that state. The law will take its own course," Sarma said.
The senior BJP leader said he would join his party's election campaign in West Bengal from Thursday.
Later, in a post on X, he said, "On Assamese New Year, offered my prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for Assam's continued peace and progress." Along with the post, he also shared a video of his visit to the temple.
