RSP, Trinamool MPs move motions in Lok Sabha 'disapproving' White Paper

New Delhi: RSP MP N K Premachandran on Friday moved a motion in Lok Sabha “disapproving” the contents of the ‘White Paper on Indian Economy’, saying it is a “political attempt” to ignore the “valuable efforts” of the previous UPA government.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy also moved a Substitute Motion disapproving the White Paper. He said it is a “flop” document.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had tabled the White Paper in Parliament on Thursday.

In his motion tabled under Rule 342 of Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, Premachandran said making “baseless allegations” against the previous government after being in power for past ten years us “unfair, improper, unjust and against all basic tenets of Parliamentary democracy”.

“This is a political attempt to ignore the valuable efforts of the previous UPA government and the contributions of the renowned economists, scientists and experts of the country during the period 2004-2014,” the Kollam MP said.

Premachandran claimed that the country has experienced “exponential growth of unemployment, inflation resulting in price rise of essential commodities and increased actual poverty” during the past ten years of the NDA government.

“Shifting the blame to the previous government for the abysmal failures of this government and thereby evading its own responsibility is not proper,” he said.

He alleged the NDA government in power for ten years has devastated the country’s economy and agriculture sector, abetted crime against women and committed grave injustice to minorities.

In the White Paper, the government has claimed that the Indian economy was on the “road to nowhere” in 2014 because of the multiple wrong turns taken during the UPA rule.

In its counter ‘Black Paper’, the Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of “devastating” the country's economy, “aggravating” unemployment, “destroying” the agriculture sector and “committing grave social injustice” in ten years even as the Prime Minister described it as a ‘kaala teeka’ to ward of evils on their good work.