"When UPA was in power, economy was in very stable condition": DMK MP T Siva

New Delhi [India], February 10 (ANI): DMK MP T Siva in Rajya Sabha on Saturday expressed his discontentment over the White Paper presented in Parliament and said that the economy was "very stable" under the UPA government as compared to the present NDA government "only corporates are enjoying".
DMK MP T Siva said, "White paper may appear to be a comparison, but it is not a fact. When UPA was in power, the economy was in a very stable condition, whereas now it is very unstable. So many suicides occurred, unemployment has increased, farmers are not given the due price for their produce, the price rise is unprecedented, and the middle class and poor are suffering the most, only corporates are enjoying."
Members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were among those who walked out over the white paper brought by the government in Parliament to compare the state of the economy during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regimes.
He further said that the opposition was not given ample time for discussion on the subject and everything was decided by the government itself without the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) allotting the time.
"It is unconventional, unethical, and unprecedented that without the BAC decision and allotting time for a particular discussion, time was also decided by them and the opposition party was not given ample time," he added.
He further said that the opposition has registered its views within a short period.
"Today I gave a 267 notice to suspend the proceedings and discuss the government's reluctance to not release the flood relief fund to Tamil Nadu. We staged a protest and walked out since they were not yielding to our demand," he added.
CPI(M) member John Brittas said, 'Protesting against the discrimination shown to Kerala, we are walking out. 'We are also not party to communalise the political situation,' he said
'This is not a white paper. This is an election paper. Selective amnesia and cherry picking. finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) has said 2004-2009 was a good period but she gave the credit to the previous (NDA) government. Strange enough,' the leader of the Left party said.
Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to the floor of the Rajya Sabha to address the ongoing debate surrounding the White Paper, providing insights into the economic landscape inherited by the Modi government and outlining key initiatives undertaken to address challenges and propel the economy forward.
Reflecting on the economic trajectory since 2014, Sitharaman acknowledged the solid foundation laid during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure (1998-2004), attributing the subsequent downturn to the UPA's mismanagement during its 10-year rule. (ANI)