Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took a swipe at the Centre on Friday, saying the ministers of finance and MSMEs should "settle their accounts" first and allow the MSMEs to save themselves without the government's "help".
He highlighted the differences between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari, with the latter saying that governments and PSUs owe Rs 5 lakh crore as unpaid dues to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while Sitharaman has said the government will offer collateral-free loans worth Rs 3 lakh crore to the MSMEs.
"Minister Gadkari says that governments and PSUs owe Rs 5 lakh crore as unpaid dues to MSMEs. Minister Sitharaman says she will offer collateral free loan of Rs 3 lakh crore to MSMEs (numbering 45 lakhs). So, who is the lender and who is the borrower?!
"Madam Finance Minister, one simple question. What is the ADDITIONAL cash you are putting into the system over the next 6 months?