Union Minister Piyush Goyal  addressed criticisms from Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who had fiercely attacked the Modi government in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Union Budget 2.0 the previous day. Gandhi had accused the NDA government of creating a ‘chakravyuh’ that ensnares everyone, including BJP MPs, farmers, and workers.

The Leader of the Opposition claimed that the budget has betrayed the middle class, which had enthusiastically responded to Prime Minister Modi’s call to bang thalis. Gandhi also criticized the government over the budget’s internship announcement, which offers youths opportunities to intern at the top 500 companies in the country.

In reply to Gandhi’s accusations, Goyal stated, “The decade of the UPA was a failed experiment, showcasing a failed government and governance model, which left the country and its people struggling.”

The Union minister also charged the Congress-led UPA government with failing to even address the issue of a legal guarantee for MSP in their budget speeches.

He stated, “In 2004, then-Finance Minister P. Chidambaram claimed that he inherited a strong economy. At that time, the growth rate was over eight percent, inflation was around four percent, and foreign exchange reserves were robust relative to the size of the economy.”

Goyal also criticized the UPA government for leaving a weak economy for PM Modi. He said, “They handed over a fragile economy that was looked down upon by the world. They left behind high fiscal deficits, high inflation, low growth, and very low foreign exchange reserves.”

On Monday, Gandhi also criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not addressing the paper leak issue in her Budget speech, calling it the “biggest issue affecting the youth.” He alleged that there have been 70 cases of paper leaks in the country over the past decade.