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National Monetisation Pipeline: After Rahul, CM Mamata joins list of detractors
Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot accused Centre of giving away assets at throwaway prices. Mamata says BJP thinking national assets belong to party.
The National Monetisation Pipeline which was announced by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this week faced criticism from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday. The Trinamool Congress supremo said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mistaking national assets as their own assets or of the Prime Minister’s. She called the decision ‘unfortunate’.
Govt unveils ₹6L-crore monetisation scheme
“These are not PM Modi’s or the BJP’s assets. These are national assets which belong to the country. The Prime Minister cannot sell the national assets. It is an unfortunate decision and I am shocked. Many people will join me in condemning this decision,” Mamata said while addressing a press conference.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Congress Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday who criticised the National Monetisation Pipeline claiming that it will prove harmful for the youth as it will not create enough employment opportunities.
National Monetisation Pipeline launched to 'monetise' under-utilised public sector assets
“We are not against privatization. Our (UPA government’s) privatization had a logic and there was no privatization of strategic industry such as the railways. All this privatization is for creating monopolies. You know who owns ports and airports,” Rahul Gandhi said, according to a report by HT. He also accused the government of selling India’s crown jewels. He alleged that infrastructure which took over seven decades to build was being sold to ‘3-4 industrialists’.
Congress leader from Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot also lashed out at the Centre on Wednesday claiming that the asset monetisation programme was giving away assets to the private sector at ‘throwaway’ prices. “Centre should help poor and middle-class people instead of handing over the assets of the country to select people,” Pilot said.
Union finance minister lashes out
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman lashed out at Rahul Gandhi while speaking to reporters in Mumbai. Sitharaman was meeting the heads of public sector banks (PSBs) on Wednesday to take stock of the financial performance of the lenders. “Does he understand what monetisation is? It was the Congress which sold the country’s resources and received kickbacks from it,” Sitharaman said. She also said that the Congress-led government monetised the Mumbai-Pune expressway to raise ₹8,000 crore earlier and also floated a request for the proposal for New Delhi Railway Station in 2008.
National Monetisation Pipeline: What is it and how will it benefit the country?
During the launch of the National Monetisation Pipeline Sitharaman clarified that there will be ‘mandatory hand back’ and no assets were being sold. “The ownership of the assets will continue to remain with the government. There is a mandatory hand back rule. The national monetisation pipeline focusses on brownfield assets where investment was made and is languishing or remains under-utilised,” Sitharaman said.
The Centre aims to raise ₹88,000 crore by leasing infrastructure assets of central government ministries and state-run companies under a ₹6 trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) this year. The government has put roads, railways, power, oil and gas pipelines and telecom under the asset monetisation pipeline.
