NDA big joke: KCR

Hyderabad: "The NDA government at the Centre has become a big joke. NDA means 'No Data Available' government," said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, while replying to a discussion on the Appropriation Bill in the Assembly on Sunday.

Dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious goal of India achieving USD 5 trillion economy as a "joke" and "silly", KCR said the target should have been much bigger. The Chief Minister, referring to an article in an international magazine, said there was a "Licence Raj" during the Congress rule while it was "Silence Raj" in the present government.

KCR said during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh the debts were reduced by 14% but the Modi model had increased them to 54%. He said if anyone proves that his allegation was wrong, he would resign as CM.

Hitting out at Modi, the BRS chief said the whole country expected that the Prime Minister would speak something on the Adani issue in Parliament. "But disappointed the nation keeping silent on the issue. He was beating around the bush," KCR said.

"By 2023-24, Modi said India will become a USD 5 trillion economy. Really silly. They could achieve only USD 3.5 trillion. At least, our aim should be big. We should dare to dream," he said. Comparing the governments of UPA and NDA, KCR said the country had lost miserably in every sector and Telangana in particular lost about Rs 3 lakh crore in terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Ridiculing the argument that India has become the fifth largest economy in the world, KCR said it is per capita that must be taken into consideration to assess any country's performance.

He said when it comes to per capita income, countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan are ahead of India. He found fault with some people approaching the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the BBC which recently aired a controversial programme on 2002 Gujarat riots.

Alleging that the NDA government is engaged in "endless privatisation of Public Sector Enterprises," KCR said the Central government's policy appears to be "Socialisation of losses and privatisation of profits."

The Chief Minister also mocked Modi for launching Vande Bharat Express whenever a new train was introduced and said there are better trains like Rajdhani Express in the country.

Later, Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy adjourned the House sine die.