Former Prime Minister warns of deteriorating situation in J&K and agrarian crisis, alleges that promises of doubling farm incomes and creating 2 crore jobs are just rhetoric.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday accused the BJP-led NDA government of “messing up” the economy, mishandling Jammu and Kashmir and using jumlas (rhetoric) about doubling farm incomes and creating two crore jobs.

Addressing the 84th Congress plenary session on Sunday, Dr. Singh spoke on a range of issues — from defence and the economy to foreign policy — and received a standing ovation from the delegates. He alleged that the Modi government had mishandled many foreign policy issues.

“We also must recognise that the Modi government has mismanaged the Jammu and Kashmir problem as never before,” he said. Alleging that the two wings of the government in the State were working against each other and the atmosphere was deteriorating, Dr. Singh said: “That is obvious from the fact that our borders are not secure, whether it is cross-border terrorism or internal terrorism, internal insurgency. There are today issues which are a source of great worry to all our citizens.”

Serious issue

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India, Dr. Singh, who heads a Congress study group on the State, said the special problems of the State must be recognised and dealt with in all seriousness.

Dr. Singh said the government should create an environment of support and friendship and move ahead together with neighbours, let they be Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka or China.

“These problems are to be sorted out peacefully and not in an atmosphere of hostility and shouting at each other,” he said.

On Pakistan, Dr. Singh said while Islamabad’s support to cross-border terrorism was not acceptable, “It is as much in the interest of Pakistan as in the interest of India that our two countries must sort out all problems sitting together peacefully and give up this path of support of terrorist elements emanating from across the border.”

The former Prime Minister, however, pointed out that India’s defence expenditure at 1.6% of the GDP was not adequate to meet the security challenges the country faced.

Dr. Singh said the latest Economic Survey had pointed out the inadequacies and described demonetisation as ‘ill-thought and ill-conceived”.

He said a hastily implemented Goods and Services Tax had destroyed many jobs and created more problems for the informal sector and small enterprises.

“The BJP government has messed up the economy. When Modiji was campaigning, he made lots of tall promises,’’ he said.

‘Decoupled economy’

Referring to Mr. Modi’s pre-election promise of creating two crore jobs annually, Dr. Singh said, “But we have not seen even two lakh jobs.” He said between 2014 and 2018, the world economy grew from 2.8% to 3.8%, but the Indian economy had “decoupled itself”.

On doubling of farmers’ incomes in six years, he said, “If you have to double farmers’ incomes in six years’ time, you need a growth rate of 12% per annum at the minimum. And that is unthinkable … Therefore, it is one of those statements, a jumla-type statement.”