What about privatisation initiative under Cong: Irani

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the National Monetisation Pipeline plan, the BJP said it shows the opposition party’s “political hypocrisy”, as Congress-led governments had monetised Mumbai-Pune expressway and airports, among others, earlier.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani said: “The Mumbai-Pune expressway was monetised for Rs 8,000 crore. Is Rahul Gandhi alleging that the Maharashtra government had sold off the expressway? In 2008, an an RFP [request for proposal] was announced for New Delhi railway station when the Congress was in power at the Centre. Is Rahul Gandhi accusing that the government for which the chief was his mother had done the misadventure of selling off the country?”

Irani said the airport privatisation process was initiated by the Congress-led UPA in 2006. “The political hypocrisy is exposed in his allegations over this government’s transparent efforts to fill the coffers and shield it from theft by the Congress,” she said.

Irani said the Finance Minister had clarified that the government would retain its ownership and in the process of monetisation, the government would also announce nodal officers for every state for this process. “Would Rahul Gandhi call the monetisation process by his party governments as selling off,” Irani asked. “There is a saying in English, ‘this man’s politics begins with hypocrisy, sustained through arrogance, and ends with contempt’. This was seen in Rahul Gandhi’s press conference.”