New Delhi, February 8: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has unveiled a ‘Black Paper’ highlighting alleged shortcomings during the 10-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre since 2014.
The Black Paper emerges as the central government gears up to present a ‘White Paper’, aiming to showcase the country’s economic status during the previous Congress-led UPA regime (2004-14) when it purportedly fell into the category of “fragile five” economies globally.
Kharge, while releasing the Black Paper, emphasized its contents, focusing on the failures of the BJP government, notably unemployment.
“We are releasing a Black Paper against the government because it tends to glorify itself in Parliament while concealing its failures. Today, we are unveiling the Black Paper, shedding light on issues such as unemployment, which the BJP government often neglects,” stated the Congress chief during a press briefing.
Kharge criticized Prime Minister Modi’s recent 90-minute reply to the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha, noting the absence of discussion on employment generated by public sectors established during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure.
Accusing the Centre of discriminating against non-BJP ruled states, Kharge expressed concerns about the state of democracy in the country, alleging BJP’s actions of toppling Congress governments as detrimental to democratic norms.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed reporters of a scheduled discussion on the White Paper in the Lok Sabha.
“When our Finance Minister presented the Interim Budget, she mentioned the White Paper. It is necessary to inform about the kind of economic situation they (Congress) had left for the country in 2014,” Meghwal stated.
The government’s decision to release a ‘White Paper’ stems from the announcement made during the presentation of the interim budget, emphasizing the need to compare the economic performance of both the Congress-led UPA government and the BJP-led NDA government over the past decade.
Presenting the interim budget 2024-25 in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the Modi government’s achievements in overcoming economic challenges since assuming office in 2014, aiming to put the economy on a sustainable growth path.
As the budget session, which marks the last Parliament session before the anticipated Lok Sabha polls in April-May, approaches its conclusion on February 10, discussions on economic performance and political discourse are expected to intensify.
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