From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sep 1: Former Union Minister Sachin Pilot strongly condemned the Narendra Modi regime’s plans for earning Rs 6 lakh crore revenue through monetisation of key public assets and dubbed it as ‘loot of tax payers hard earned money’.

Pilot, who visited the State Congress Bhavan and met Karnataka Pradesh Committee President D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Wednesday, said the Congress party has vehemently opposed the Modi regime’s plans for monetisation of national assets.

The monetisation of key public assets such as national highways, gas pipelines, food warehouses and buffer stocks, telecommunication networks, ports, airports, national stadia and railways was loot of the money paid by the citizens in the form of taxes over the last six decades.

Congress party is not opposed to attracting investments, he said and pointed out that the Dr Manmohan Singh had laid out plans and opened the gates for investments by liberalising the economy as Finance Minister in 1991. The BJP and its sister organisations including Swadeshi Jagaran Manch had opposed the liberalisation, Pilot reminded.

The Central Congress leader said now the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claim that the monetisation of public assets would help the government to get investments to the tune of Rs100 lakh crore. Who will believe such tall claims when there is no transparency in privatising public sector undertakings, he asked.

Pilot wanted to know what will happen if the assets lose their value in the next 30 years and can the valuable assets be regained. The Modi government is opening the doors to the private sector to acquire public sector assets by obtaining loans from the public sector banks, which were built by the tax payers.

Under the BJP rule, unemployment has risen to record levels during the last seven years. Poverty has increased and GDP has fallen, he said asking the government to inform the people as how many needy and deserving people have really benefitted from the Rs 20 lakh crore Covid relief package. The Central package has not helped the poorer sections and middle classes while small and medium industries had to be closed down.

The Congress leader said railways, telecom and mining exploration sectors were technology intensive sectors in which the government must invest and retain control.

Pilot lashed out the Modi government for the high prices of petrol and diesel all over the country and pointed out that the BJP leaders who took to the streets and protested when the petrol/diesel prices reached Rs 60 to 65 a litre were now silent even when the prices have crossed Rs 100 a litre for the last several days in all states. Even desi ghee is cheaper than petrol/diesel, he said.

He warned that the Congress party will continue to oppose and organise nation-wide protests against the anti-people policies of the Modi government.