NEW DELHI: Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday he rejected the opposition’s accusation that budgetary allocations for green and clean energy were made with the Adani group in mind, saying it could be Congress culture to benefit ‘jijas’ and ‘bhatijas’ but not the Modi government.
Sitharaman had in the 2023-24 budget provided Rs 35,000 crore for the clean energy transition, a space where Adani Group has announced huge projects ranging from renewable energy capacity to green hydrogen production. These allocations have been labeled as ‘green growth‘ Balance.
The FM said, “Kyun ki mera naam le kar ek vipaksh ke neta bole, kya Nirmala Sitharaman ne green mei itna amount allot kiya, kya itna amount kisiko mann mei rakhte hue allot kiya? (Since an opposition leader took my name and said, Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated so much for the green sector with a particular individual in mind?)
“Under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, any allocation is not made with anyone specific in mind, rather with everyone in mind. The government keeps the country in mind. Such a remark is absolutely incorrect…” the minister said without naming any company or individual. He was responding to the general discussion on the Union budget in LS.
Parliamentary proceedings were halted by opposition parties calling for an investigation by a JPC or a monitored inquiry by the Supreme Court into allegations of financial fraud made by US-based Hindenburg Research against the Adani group.
Without naming Congress, Sitharaman said there were times when calls were made to banks for giving loans to benefit certain people. “…if phone calls were made, if relationships were beneficial, if jijajis and bhatijas (brothers-in-law and nephews) were benefiting, it could be their culture,” he said in an apparent jab at the Gandhi family.
“Under Prime Minister Modi, none of us do any of this. And therefore, any such accusation will be returned in the same language. I’m sorry… I can’t afford to have this kind of language,” Sitharaman said.
Sitharaman had in the 2023-24 budget provided Rs 35,000 crore for the clean energy transition, a space where Adani Group has announced huge projects ranging from renewable energy capacity to green hydrogen production. These allocations have been labeled as ‘green growth‘ Balance.
The FM said, “Kyun ki mera naam le kar ek vipaksh ke neta bole, kya Nirmala Sitharaman ne green mei itna amount allot kiya, kya itna amount kisiko mann mei rakhte hue allot kiya? (Since an opposition leader took my name and said, Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated so much for the green sector with a particular individual in mind?)
“Under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, any allocation is not made with anyone specific in mind, rather with everyone in mind. The government keeps the country in mind. Such a remark is absolutely incorrect…” the minister said without naming any company or individual. He was responding to the general discussion on the Union budget in LS.
Parliamentary proceedings were halted by opposition parties calling for an investigation by a JPC or a monitored inquiry by the Supreme Court into allegations of financial fraud made by US-based Hindenburg Research against the Adani group.
Without naming Congress, Sitharaman said there were times when calls were made to banks for giving loans to benefit certain people. “…if phone calls were made, if relationships were beneficial, if jijajis and bhatijas (brothers-in-law and nephews) were benefiting, it could be their culture,” he said in an apparent jab at the Gandhi family.
“Under Prime Minister Modi, none of us do any of this. And therefore, any such accusation will be returned in the same language. I’m sorry… I can’t afford to have this kind of language,” Sitharaman said.
