Kejriwal keeps Mann by his side to use Punjab CM's state aircraft: Sitharaman

Sitharaman said Kejriwal who used to accuse opposition leaders of corruption is now meeting them in his bid to unite opposition parties.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday attacked AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, saying the Delhi chief minister keeps his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann by his side while travelling across the country so that he could fly in Mann's state aircraft.

Addressing a 'Sarv Samaj Sammelan' hosted by Delhi BJP under its outreach campaign, Sitharaman also said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world and will remain so in coming years too.

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In a blistering attack on Kejriwal, the Union minister also accused him of using money for welfare of the poor on building a "Sheesh Mahal" for himself. The BJP has been trying to corner Kejriwal alleging irregularities in renovation of Kejriwal's official residence.

No immediate reaction was available from the Kejriwal government or the AAP.

"The money for welfare of the poor has been spent on building Sheesh Mahal for Kejriwal. He keeps Punjab Chief Minister by his side so that he could use his aircraft whose expenses are paid using money of the taxpayers of Punjab," she charged.

Sitharaman said that Kejriwal who used to accuse opposition leaders like Sharad Pawar and Lalu Yadav of corruption is now meeting them in his bid to unite the opposition parties.

"In 2012, Kejriwal said that Sharad Pawar has a Swiss Bank account and claimed to have his bank account number. He also accused Lalu Prasad of corruption in 2013 and charged that he had earned crores of rupees in fodder scam. Now, he is meeting them which shows his intentions are not clean," the minister said at the BJP programme held at East Azad Nagar in East Delhi.

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The BJP leader alleged that the Delhi government is not paying attention to the issues of people in the city.

Sitharaman also alleged that Kejriwal promised to build 1,000 mohalla clinics in 2015 but only 520 were ready till date and more than 300 of them are still functioning from porta cabins. The Delhi government also deprived poor people from the benefits of Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, she charged.

She said the Modi government in the last nine years brought about "major changes" in the country while focusing on service, good governance and welfare of the poor.

Due to the Covid pandemic, many countries in the world recorded negative GDP, she said. "India, however, recovered fast from the sharp decline in its GDP and emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world. We will remain the fastest economy in the coming years too," she claimed.

This "quick revival" of the country from below 0 per cent to 7.7 per cent GDP growth within two years has been due to steps taken by the Modi government, she said.

India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi ensured manufacture of Covid vaccines and administered crores of doses of its vaccine that strengthened faith of the people in the government, she said.

She also slammed opposition parties including Congress, saying they tried to put pressure over the government to print more bank notes and take as much loans as possible during the pandemic.

"India would have been the most heavily indebted country if the suggestions of the Opposition were followed. Many middle income countries like Sri Lanka are asking money from IMF. Prime Minister Modi, however, handled economy in a way to ward off such a situation," she said.

Sitharaman also said that the Opposition is crying over prices of items like wheat flour and petrol, but the inflation rate has gone down in the country.

"The Opposition is finding it difficult to talk about the economy," she said and added every month 70,000 appointment letters are being provided in the country and a larger number of people are earning their livelihood through entrepreneurship boosted by different schemes of the Modi government.

Citing various schemes of the BJP-led NDA government, she said "Modi's logic of empowerment is providing houses, toilets, cooking gas and drinking water to everyone".

The Union finance minister said working with the motto of service and good governance, the Modi government has opened 395 Jan Aushadhi Kendras in Delhi which is the highest number of such medical stores in any city of the country.

Sitharaman said the Centre has provided "corruption free and public welfare oriented" governance in nine years. As compared to this, as many as seven ministers of AAP government in Delhi went to jail since 2015, she said.