Nirmala Sitharaman mocks Rahul Gandhi over 'poverty a state of mind' remark

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched barbed attacks on senior Congress leadership, including siblings Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi during her reply to the debate on Union Budget in Rajya Sabha on Friday. The Finance Minister started from where she left off in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

In a veiled attack, Sitharaman mocked Rahul Gandhi for his 2013 remark in Allahabad when he was reported as saying 'Poverty is a state of mind'. "Your former President said, poverty doesn't mean scarcity of food, money or material things. If someone possesses self confidence one can overcome poverty... this gyan was given to us," said Sitharaman.

Sitharaman also appeared angry over the remarks made by Congress leader that she didn't know realities as she was not elected. "Haven't they in their time had members from the Rajya Sabha. Was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was from this House, also disconnected from ground reality," said Sitharaman objecting to the remark.

She lashed out at Congress leader Kapil Sibal who said the other day that "It is not amritkaal but rahukaal since 2014." "That Rahukaal belongs to the time when a sitting Prime Minister brings in a law and it gets torn up scornfully in front of the media before the PM is about to meet the President of the US. That was rahukaal," said Sitharaman drawing uproar in the House. No wonder the Congress party is facing the Rahul-kaal, she said.

Sitharaman also lashed out at Priyanka Gandhi without taking her name. "In Rajasthan there is no ladki hun lad sakti hoon," she said while concluding her reply. Rajasthan is a Congress ruled state, but Priyanka has started her flagship movement in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. She said that national policies were decided at 10 Janpath and announced at 7 Race Course Road (then PM's residence). "Was that remote controlled or not," the Finance Minister said lashing out at the Congress.

She had to face stiff opposition from the Congress MPs during her reply to the Budget. Objecting to her criticism of the Congress, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge intervened. "Don't deviate from the Budget issue, speak on the Budget, we will listen. Give a serious reply. Don't speak like a comedian," he said at one point.

Congress also accused Nirmala Sitharaman of using unparliamentary expressions in House. Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said, "The minister repeatedly said that former Finance Minister was misleading the House. Even now she is saying members speaking on MNREGA are misleading the House." By shouting like this the right to reply is being denied, said Nirmala Sitharaman to Congress MPs. (UNI)