Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who unveiled the party’s ‘Black Paper’ in response to the ‘White Paper’ to be brought by the Centre in the Parliament’s Budget session, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi never mentioned the number of jobs created by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) set up by former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Addressing the press conference along with other senior party leaders on Thursday morning, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi never mentions the number of jobs created by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) set up by former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Whenever PM Modi speaks in Parliament, he always tries to hide his government’s failures.”
He said, “The saffron party should talk about the present as they are in power now, but they are busy talking about the past and bringing up Pandit Nehru.”
He also mentioned the states with non-BJP governments were being neglected by the Centre.
“When PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he also used to complain about funds,” he said.
“There is a danger to democracy in the country. In the last 10 years, 411 MLAs were taken on their side by the BJP. They toppled so many Congress governments. They are finishing democracy,” he said.
The ‘black paper’ highlights issues such as “unemployment, price rise, farmers’ distress, failure to carry out a caste census, and injustice to women.
#WATCH | On releasing ‘Black Paper’ against Modi govt, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says,” There is a danger to democracy in the country…In last 10 years, 411 MLAs were taken on their by the BJP. They toppled so many Congress governments. They are finishing… pic.twitter.com/9oOhYKkyvW— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2024
In the initial announcement during the presentation of the union budget on February 1, the central government stated its intention to release a ‘White Paper’ comparing the economic performance of the Congress-led UPA government over 10 years with that of the BJP-led NDA government over the same period.
The Centre’s proposed ‘White Paper’ will be presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in both Houses of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
Presenting the interim budget for 2024-25 in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted that since assuming office in 2014, the Modi government successfully navigated the challenges of those years, placing the economy firmly on a sustainable growth trajectory.
She confirmed the government’s plan to present a White Paper in the House, aiming to assess the economic journey from the pre-2014 period to the present and derive lessons from the mismanagement of those years.
The budget session commenced on January 31 with President Droupadi Murmu addressing the joint sitting of the two Houses. This session, the final one before the anticipated Lok Sabha polls in April-May, was scheduled to conclude on February 9.
WHAT IS A WHITE PAPER?
It is a government document, based on research and information, which is presented to highlight new policies, issues and achievements. It is usually colour-coded in a white cover and can have public access, according to the Stanford Law School.
The Stanford Law School defines a white paper as “an authoritative report or guide that often addresses issues and how to solve them”. Thus, it is “used in politics and business, as well as in technical fields, to educate readers and help people make decisions”.
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