Says those who ran the institution were in the seat of power earlier, but had not bothered to improve India’s spot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took on the previous UPA government’s track record, arguing that while he had not even seen the World Bank Building till date, those who had run the World Bank and had occupied the seat of power before him, had not bothered to improve India’s “ease of doing business” ranking, an annual World Bank index.

“After coming from 142 to 100, I don’t feel like sleeping, I wish to do more. As you know, I have nothing else to do. One life, one mission — this is my only job,” the Prime Minister said at an event to mark the massive jump in India’s ranking in the World Bank’s “ease of doing business” index. India’s rank as per the Bank’s index had jumped from 142 in 2014 to 100 in 2017.

Mocks Rahul

In an apparent jibe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, he said some people were not able to understand this surge in India’s ranking and they were not moved by its import. Mr. Gandhi, at an election rally in Gujarat, had mocked the ranking, and said the ground reality suggested otherwise as demonetisation, followed by the Goods and Services Tax, adversely affected businesses.

“Some of these people have been in the World Bank earlier. But today, they are questioning India’s ranking,” Mr. Modi said. “If reforms such as the insolvency code, bankruptcy code, commercial courts were brought in your time, then our ranking would have improved earlier itself,” he said.

“Wouldn’t the country’s conditions have improved? [They] didn’t do anything and are questioning those who are doing it,” Mr Modi said, pointing to the coincidence that the Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report was started in 2004, terming it “an important” year.

“Since then, everyone knows who was running the government till 2014. I am such a Prime Minister who hasn’t seen the World Bank building, while earlier those who ran the World Bank were in the seat of power,” he said.

Dr. Manmohan Singh had represented India on the World Bank’s Board of Governors as a government official, but was never a World Bank employee. His close aide Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who was the Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission, had worked with the World Bank before joining the government in 1979.

“I urge you to work with us instead of questioning this ranking so that we can take the country to a higher ground. Make a resolve to work together in creating a New India,” the Prime Minister said in a message to Opposition parties.