Modi has delivered blows to the economy: Congress
New Delhi, Oct 14: The Congress Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the falling rupee and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "monumental mismanagement" of the economy and delivering blows to it.
The opposition party said in 2014, Modi had promised to strengthen the rupee if he became prime minister and said he would bring it to the level of 40 per dollar.
Addressing a press conference at the party office here, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma pointed out that the rupee had, on more than one occasion, crossed 74 to a dollar, whereas the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had left it at 59 to a dollar.
"There has been a monumental mismanagement of the Indian economy under the BJP-led NDA government. They have been busy, the prime minister in particular and his Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, either making false claims, or embellishing and manufacturing numbers just to mislead the people," he said.
A nation could not have a sound economy if it was not attracting investments, the Congress leader said.
On demonetisation, Sharma said Modi's arbitrary and reckless decision wiped off more than 90 per cent of the currency in circulation in one stroke, destroyed not only factories but crores of jobs and soon after that, there was a hasty imposition of a flawed Goods and Services Tax (GST).
"If you put all that together, you will realise that this is the highest GST and the most complex one when it comes to compliance, which has been thrust on the country. So, these are the blows Modi has delivered," he said.
The Congress leader took a dig at the finance minister by describing him as a blog writer rather than being an efficient minister and said the Centre attributed the slowing down of the economy, the falling rupee and all such things to global factors.
But strangely, these factors were only evident in India and not other economies of Asia which were not affected by those, he said.
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IRGC warns of retaliation after energy sites hit; Gulf nations issue Emergency Alerts
Tehran/Riyadh/Doha: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a strong warning after attacks on its energy infrastructure, saying it will retaliate against those responsible.
A spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said “the fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of countries behind the attacks “will be burned and turned to ashes at the earliest opportunity”.
“This is a firm and clear warning to the criminals who attacked part of Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructures in the south of the country,” the statement, carried by Iran’s Mehr news agency, said.
“We declare to the cowardly and aggressive army of the criminal America and the barbaric and child-killing Zionist regime that you will have to throw your soldiers into the water and throw your dignity into the wind,” it added.
The warning comes as Gulf countries step up emergency measures amid fears of further escalation.
Saudi Arabia’s National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Cases issued alerts warning of danger in the Riyadh and al-Kharj governorates. Residents were cautioned about a possible aerial threat.
In Qatar, reports indicate that Ras Laffan, the world’s largest LNG production facility, is being evacuated. The move follows Iran’s warning that it may target energy infrastructure in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Ras Laffan was previously attacked on March 2 in the early phase of the conflict, after which QatarEnergy had temporarily paused production.
Authorities have reportedly asked workers and residents in specific areas to evacuate as a precaution.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of two loud explosions in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. Residents there have received alerts warning of a possible aerial attack.
The situation across the Gulf region remains tense as military threats and countermeasures continue to escalate.
