Expressing strong criticism towards the Narendra Modi government for economic decline, rising unemployment, and job losses, Congress National Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate highlighted that even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s economy had been on a downward trajectory for eight consecutive quarters.
In a live conversation with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD of Governance Now, as part of the Visionary Talk series, Shrinate, a former journalist, emphasized that while the global economy was advancing, India’s growth rate was plummeting. She drew attention to mass layoffs in the media industry, affecting technicians, camerapersons, producers, journalists, and others, asserting that these individuals were struggling to find new employment.
Shrinate attributed the economic challenges to the inefficiency, incompetence, and decision-making of the government. She pointed out that from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2020, the GDP growth rate in India halved, dropping from 8.2% to 4.3%. Even before the pandemic, India experienced a decline in the economy for eight consecutive quarters.
Criticizing the Modi government further, she contended that prior to the pandemic, unemployment had reached a 45-year high due to demonetization, and the hastily implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) had contributed to economic turmoil. She questioned the government’s focus on the ease of doing business, describing it as Mumbai and Delhi-centric, and argued that the World Bank had also acknowledged flaws in the rating system.
Regarding the government’s Atmanirbhar package, Shrinate, along with senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram and others, calculated that the fresh expenditure outlay was only Rs 1.86 lakh crore, less than 1% of the GDP, with the rest being a refurbished Union Budget announced in February 2020.
She criticized the government’s emphasis on loans amid job uncertainty and suggested that boosting consumption would lead to increased production, job creation, and economic revival. Shrinate questioned the feasibility of individuals taking loans when job security was uncertain and wages could be reduced.
Addressing the issue of the UP government’s draft ordinance against forced inter-faith conversions, often referred to as ‘love jihad,’ Shrinate argued that existing laws against forced conversion were sufficient. She criticized the term ‘love jihad’ as an attempt to polarize society and deemed it ridiculous that consenting individuals couldn’t decide whom to marry. Citing a recent Allahabad High Court judgment, she endorsed the Tanishq ad as a reflection of Indian cultural plurality and a celebration of motherhood.