Member of Parliament in India, P. Chidambaram on Tuesday slammed demonetisation and the present Indian government while speaking at a special lecture organised by Australia India Institute in Melbourne.
Mr. Chidambaram who served as a finance minister and home minister under the UPA-led Indian government, accused the Modi led BJP government of ‘too many distractions’ which have slowed down economic growth of the country.
He also slammed BJP’s mother organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
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Addressing a large gathering at the University of Melbourne, Mr. Chidambaram told the audience, “The RSS, that claims it is not a political party, occupies the space on the extreme right of the political spectrum in India. It is the mother organisation of the BJP, the current ruling party.
“The BJP is a right wing party that is friendly to business but, in my view, has less faith in the markets.
“Between the two, the RSS and the BJP have been responsible for the numerous distractions some of which are also infractions of the law.
“By questionable actions and words, or ominous silence, they ignited debates on inter-faith marriages, sale and consumption of beef, cultural norms, dress codes, primacy of the hindi language, nationalism, raising slogans in praise of the motherland, uniform civil code, and special status of Jammu & Kashmir. Such debates have only divided the society more and created dear among the Dalits, tribals, the minority communities, women and youth.”
Mr. Chidambaram also slammed the recent decision of demonetising the 500 and 1000 rupee notes and the introduction of GST in July.
“In the last 12 months, there were two major disruptions. The first was demonetisation of 86% by value, of the currency in circulation. The second was the introduction of GST. I shall not burden you with the unhappy outcomes of these two measures; suffice to say that they caused a severe set back to the economy as a result of which GDP growth rate declined every quarter April to June 2017,” he said.
“1.5 million jobs have been lost as a consequence of the GDP decline,” he said.
Mr. Chidambaram also spoke about how Australia and India shared many fundamental values and could become a net provider of security for the countries in the Asia Pacific region.
“The Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signed in September 2014 was a landmark agreement. I expect that the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that is under discussion will prove to be another landmark,” he said, adding, “irrespective of government actions, an unseen and unbreakable bond is being forged between the two countries.”
He was referring to the Indians who have settled in Australia and the international students from India who are in Australia.
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