Jaitley attacks Cong, Mahagathbandhan, says only a PM with 'clear mandate' can ensure economic growth

New Delhi [India], Jan 15 (ANI): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that an "unworkable alliance with maverick leadership whose longevity is a suspect" cannot lead the country to economic growth like a government with a "clear mandate as in 2014", while making a veiled jab at the Congress party and the 'Mahagathbandhan' of opposition parties.
In a Facebook blog, Jaitley underscored the economic development during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, adding that the 'Mahagathbandhan' of opposition parties will only restrict further growth.
He said that the average GDP growth of 7.3 per cent during the five years of Prime Minister Modi is on a much larger base than the previous governments and that the growth rates during that Prime Minister Modi's period are much higher.
Jaitley further highlighted the high inflation rate of 9.4 per cent left behind by the UPA government in 2014, adding that during the five years of the BJP-led NDA government, "it has consistently been kept in check".
"When Prime Minister Modi came to power, India was the tenth largest economy in GDP terms in the world. Presently, the fifth, sixth and seventh economies namely United Kingdom, France and India are within a very narrow range. A marginal fluctuation of currency values alters the size of the economies. India, of course, is projected to grow next year at 7.5 per cent. This will conclusively ensure that India, at the end of the next Financial Year, could possibly be the fifth largest economy in the world," Jaitley added in the blog.
He further cited India's fast-growing middle class and the transfer of resources to rural India, which has led to the rise of a "huge aspirational class" in rural India, as an indication of the improved "social profile, purchasing power and the quality of life of Indians are going to have, in the decades to come".
"To ensure that this happens as projected, it is a pre-requisite that India needs a decisive leadership, consistency in policy direction and a strong and stable government. An unworkable alliance with maverick leadership whose longevity is a suspect can never achieve this," Jaitley said.
"Who should be India's Prime Minister, if India were to achieve this? Should he/she be constrained by his/her rival aspirants who have reluctantly supported him/her out of mere dislike for a common opponent or does India need a Prime Minister with a clear mandate as in 2014. Only such a Prime Minister can deliver growth and satisfy the Nation's aspirations," he added. (ANI)