FM Sitharaman reiterates 'asset monetisation' doesn't involve sell-off
Why didn’t Rahul Gandhi tear-off those proposals, when Congress govt did asset monetisations too, questions Nirmala Sitharaman
image for illustrative purpose
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on those criticising the Rs6 lakh crore monetisation plan, wondering if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even understands what such a move entails.
said that the government will not give away ownership of assets under the asset monetisation plan and they will be mandatorily handed back to the government.
A day after the government unveiled the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth Rs 6 lakh crore, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bringing the process of selling the 'crown jewel' assets built by his party in last 70 years.
Speaking to reporters in the financial capital, Sitharaman said it is Congress that received 'kickbacks' by selling resources such as land and mines.
She reminded that the governments headed by the Congress raised Rs8,000 crore by monetising the Mumbai-Pune expressway, and in 2008, it was the UPA government that floated the request for proposal to lease out New Delhi Railway Station.
Recalling an incident where Gandhi tore off an ordinance he didn't agree with, Sitharaman questioned why he didn't tear off the RFP.
"If he indeed is against monetisation, why was the RFP on the monetisation of NDLS torn to pieces by Rahul Gandhi? And if this is monetisation, did they sell off the New Delhi railway station? Is it owned by jijaji (brother-in-law) now? Does he understand what is monetisation?"
Seeking to address concerns on cronyism and sell-offs of assets created over 70 years, Sitharaman reminded the Congress of the Commonwealth games.
"What did happen during CWG? Within one CWG, they finished all that which can be creamed out into the accounts of their cronies," she said.
Sitharaman reiterated that the asset monetisation plan does not involve selling off assets, and the assets will be handed back to the government.
"They are brownfield assets which are completed but under-utilised. If the government has to utilise it better, it has to be through monetisation process wherein it will be put to effective use with a bit more addition to spruce it up to bring it up to utilisation," she said.
