Statistics show who actual 'Pappu' is: Mahua Moitra blasts Centre over economy

New Delhi: Citing government data showing industrial contraction to question the Centre's handling of the economy, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday (December 13, 2022) took a swipe at the Narendra Modi-led government and asked who is the "Pappu" now. Referring to the latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), she claimed that while India's industrial output shrunk by four per cent in October to a 26-month low, the manufacturing sector, which is "still the biggest generator of jobs", contracted by 5.6 per cent. Speaking in Lok Sabha on demands for additional grants for 2022-23, the TMC leader also accused the Modi government of spreading "falsehood" about India's growth and appealed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take control of the economy, which she said is "going downhill". 

"Seventeen of the industry sectors that make up the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) have recorded negative growth. Forex reserves have fallen by 72 billion dollars in under a year," she stated.

"This government and the ruling party coined the term Pappu. You use it to denigrate and signify extreme incompetence. But the statistics tell us who the actual Pappu is," Moitra said.

The TMC MP from Krishnanagar also took a dig at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over its debacle in the recently-concluded Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections and said that the ruling party's president (JP Nadda) could not hold on to his home state. 

"Who is the Pappu now?" she asked.

In the home state of BJP national president JP Nadda, the Congress formed the new government after winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The saffron party, on the other hand, could only get 25.

Who is the Pappu now

Mahua Moitra said said that FM Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday mentioned during the Question Hour how 50 per cent of Foreign Institutional Investors inflows into emerging markets are coming to India, but the government in reply to a question told the House last Friday that almost 2 lakh people renounced their Indian citizenship in the first 10 months of 2022.

"This exodus of 2022 takes the total number of Indians renouncing Indian citizenship under this government in the past nine years since 2014 to over 12.5 lakh people," Mahua said.

"Is this sign of a healthy economic environment or a healthy tax environment (in the country)?" she asked, adding, "Who is the Pappu now?"

Atmosphere of 'terror' in the country today

Mahua Moitra alleged that there is an "atmosphere of terror" in the country today with the "sword" of the Enforcement Directorate hanging over "businessmen and high-net worth individuals" as well as leaders of opposition parties.

"The ruling party buys lawmakers for hundreds of crores of rupees and yet members of the opposition represent 95 per cent of the lawmakers under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate," Moitra alleged.

She accused the government of spreading falsehood over India's growth story under Prime Minister Modi and said demonetisation of high-value currency enforced by it in 2016 had failed to achieve its targets as cash is "still king" and phasing out of fake currency is still a distant dream.

Link to my speech in Lok Sabha on Supplementary Demand for Grantshttps://t.co/GCV1hogeBT — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) December 13, 2022

"This government has us believe every February that this country's economy is going great guns, we are the fastest growing most efficient global player, everyone is getting employment, cylinders, electricity and pucca houses. This falsehood flies for eight to 10 months and the truth comes out limping after it," she said.

"We are now in December and the government says it needs another 3.26 lakh crores as additional funds over and above the budget estimates," Mahua said.

(With agency inputs)