New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Hum do, Hamare do” jibe with the same slogan. She also accused him of playing a role like a “doomsday man” by insulting the legislative authority like the PM, former PM, President and even the Lok Sabha chair.
Delivering her final speech on the discussion on Union Budget 2021-2022 in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister took on Gandhi saying he is probably becoming the “doomsday man” of India, building “fake narratives” that “demean” the country.
Sitharaman’s “doomsday” remark came in an obvious indication when she mentioned without taking Rahul’s name that “there is a ‘doomsday man’ who said two days ago that he will not speak on Budget. What kind of role he wants to play?”
Gandhi on Thursday spoke the same line in the Lok Sabha while speaking on the farm laws when the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was already over and he was given time to participate in the ongoing debate on Union Budget 2021-2022.
“The leader and its party continuously abusing the legislative by hitting the dignity of PM, former PM, President and the Lok Sabha chair. Why do you always choose to insult the legislative authority?…Abuse and then seek apology, this is the tendency of the party.
“The party’s position in Rajya Sabha is different and here in Lok Sabha they show another position. The party is continuously spreading fake narrative. The party follows two tendencies — create institution, use it for own benefit; create disturbance,” Sitharaman said.
As Sitharaman was replying to the discussion on the Union Budget, she posed 10 questions about Rahul Gandhi’s speech which was mainly on the farmers’ protest, not Union Budget 2021, the finance minister said.
Referring to Gandhi’s ‘Hum do, Hamare do’ comment which Gandhi had made in the Lok Sabha to attack the Central government on Thursday over the farm laws, the Minister used the same slogan, mentioning if the party blames the government it should also think about how it is taking care of “daughter and damad”.
Sitharaman said though the Congress comes up with “very good schemes”, it lacks the will to use those schemes properly as those schemes turn into devices to only favour “cronies” and “hum do hamare do”.
“Hum do, Hamare do’ is that we are two people taking care of the party, and there are two other people who take care of daughter and damad,” Sitharaman said, adding “we don’t do that as Rs 10,000 is given to 50 lakh street traders as working capital for one year and they are not anyone’s cronies,” Sitharaman said.
“Take the credit of giving birth to MNREGA. But also take credit for mismanaging it, for giving money to ghost workers.”
In his remarks against the government, Gandhi had said, “Years ago there was a family planning slogan – Hum do, Hamare do (we two and our two), but just like corona has returned in another form, this slogan too has made a comeback. Today, four people run the country – Hum do, Hamare do,” Gandhi had said without taking any names.
Continuing her attack, Sitharaman questioned, “Where are the cronies? They are hiding probably in the shadow of that party which has been rejected by the people. The shadows who were invited to even develop a port. They invited, no open tenders, no global tenders.”
Mentioning PM SVANidhi Yojana, the Minister said she mentions it for those who are constantly accusing the government of dealing with cronies.
“SVANidhi doesn’t go to cronies. Damads get land in states which are governed by some parties — Rajasthan, Haryana once upon a time.”
Addressing Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Sitharaman said, “Kerala invited one crony to develop a port — no bidding, just invitation. Because Kerala has no damad, Damad is here. Damads get land in states which are governed by some parties.”
