Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal just tabled the interim budget, also the last one for the present Central Government in the Parliament today. One of the most popular ministers in the Modi cabinet, Shri Goyal laid out many provisions that will benefit the masses greatly. Be it an assured pension for the workers in the unorganized sector, or farmer friendly incentives such as direct benefit transfer
However, while doling out the people friendly schemes with elan, Shri Piyush Goyal didn’t mince words in criticizing the previous UPA government for its massive inefficiency in implementing even basic governance, denying the poor and downtrodden even their basic rights. He primarily targeted ex PM Manmohan Singh, who was accused of turning a blind eye to the rampant corruption that had become the norm during the UPA term.
Interestingly, when he presented the budget, he began with the following lines, “The poor have the first right to the resources.” This quote was apparently in the support of the President’s address to the nation before the Republic Day, who had asserted that ‘everybody has an equal right to the resources of the country’.
However, if we’re well aware of the political history of the country, we know that Shri Piyush Goyal also took a clear potshot at the ex PM Manmohan Singh with this quote. In December 2006, Manmohan had maintained that Muslims have the first right on the resources. To quote his address to the National Development Council, “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on the resources.”
Manmohan Singh did not just say it, he actually implemented this quote in letter and spirit. For the entire 10 years of the UPA tenure, the minorities, especially the Muslims, were given the first preference in terms of providing the benefits of the government schemes. Other communities, especially the Hindus, were given a cold shoulder and were treated like second class citizens.
With the ascent of PM Modi to power, the scenario has changed for the better. From the poor getting the benefits of government schemes directly, to the system of middlemen waning away for the better, the present NDA government has completely reversed the tables. Also, we should appreciate Piyush Goyal for having the courage to call a spade a spade, as he reminded PM Manmohan Singh of his biased attitude in executing even basic governance.
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