Taking a dig at the Union government, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) on Monday, April 4, said that the risk of an economic crisis in India, similar to that of Sri Lanka’s, is “very real”, and that the problem is the unchecked “power grab” by the BJP. His statement came a day after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was warned by a few senior bureaucrats that populist schemes announced by some states were not economically viable and could lead them to the same path as Sri Lanka. The island nation is currently experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis.
Some bureaucrats were said to have highlighted the issue in a meeting with the Prime Minister on Saturday, April 2. It is learnt that referring to populist sops announced in the recent Assembly polls, a few senior bureaucrats said that such sops are not economically viable and can take the states on the same path as Sri Lanka. "Some secretaries said that populist schemes or sops were announced in the recent Assembly polls in the states, which are already in poor economic conditions. These sops are not economically viable and it can take state in the path of Sri Lanka," sources told IANS.
Retweeting a tweet by Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, PTR slammed the Union government. “The "Risk of going SL way" is very real. But more than "populist measures" the problem is the unchecked (by constitutional limits or "independent" institutions) power grab by the Union Govt, where one-size-fits-all schemes are hatched without debate & hence will cause real damage (sic).”
The "Risk of going SL way" is very real. But more than "populist measures" the problem is the unchecked (by constitutional limits or "independent" institutions) power grab by the Union Govt, where one-size-fits-all schemes are hatched without debate & hence will cause real damage https://t.co/6vkcvABedU
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) April 4, 2022
PM Modi on Monday, April 4, had held marathon meetings with secretaries of all departments and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra, cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauna and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval were among those present. Sources told IANS that over two dozen secretaries had expressed their views on various issues and that this was the ninth such meeting of the Prime Minister since 2014.
(With IANS inputs)