Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of the Centre over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, the BJP today said the Congress vice-president and rhetoric "make a good combination".
Responding to the Congress leader's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the notes ban and GST, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "Rahul and responsibility never go together, but Rahul and rhetoric make a good combination."
He also questioned Rahul Gandhi over his silence during the UPA regime when the economy, he claimed, was "doomed".
"When the UPA was in charge of the economy, there was a policy paralysis and the economy was doomed. Why did he (Rahul Gandhi) not utter a single word at that time?" Patra asked.
He claimed that the country had moved forward from the "fragile five" to the "fabulous few" as far as the economy was concerned.
"Even the IMF (International Monetary Fund) has said the Indian economy is on a solid track and that India is a bright star," Patra said.
Another BJP spokesperson, GVL Narasimha Rao, alleged that that the Congress was attempting to spread doom, desperately hoping that it would shore up its prospects.
"Rahul Gandhi believes that if a lie is repeated a hundred times, it will stick in public mind. But the people know that the economy is doing well and it is the Congress party which is on ventilator support in an ICU," he said.
Rao alleged that the Congress had left the country as one of the five fragile economies in the world in 2013.
"Not only did Prime Minister Narendra Modi pull the economy from the brink of a precipice, where (former prime minister) Manmohan Singh had left it, he has made it the fastest growing economy in the world," he claimed.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi for his comments on note ban, Union minister Giriraj Singh tweeted, "Looks like those notes were very close to his heart....Rattled (sic)."
Speaking at an event organised by an industry chamber, the Congress leader today accused Modi and his government of "killing" the economy by firing the "double tap" of demonetisation and GST into its heart.
He also hit out at the government over job losses and accused it of "disrespecting" the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by not hearing them out and understanding their "pain" after demonetisation and the implementation of GST.
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