Initiating the debate on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha, Yashwant Sinha said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was "facing the results of the mistakes committed by Chidambaram (as the then Finance Minister)".
"Mukherjee is not at fault...The original sin was committed in the year 2008-09...The way we took liberty and mocked fiscal deficit, we have not been able to bring back the economy on its tracks," he said.
Sinha also charged the UPA government with throwing the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act "out of the window".
He said while NDA was sad at failing to come to power in 2009, he at times feels that had it happened, the UPA would have targetted it for economic crisis.
"Therefore, our sorrow is reduced that we lost the 2009 polls and these people have been left to stew in their own juices," he said.
Accusing the government of policy paralysis in decision making, Sinha - a former Finance Minister - said it seems the government was functioning on ventilator.
He referred to an article in the 'Economist' magazine which had reportedly dubbed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari as "lame duck". (MORE)