What poverty are you referring to?: Sitharaman taunts Rahul Gandhi's 2013 remark

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 11, 2022, 4:04 PM IST

Nirmala Sitharaman, without naming Rahul Gandhi, said the Congress leader had said that poverty is a state of mind. She asked as to what poverty the Opposition was referring to.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the Congress party and leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday and asked the Opposition, 'which poor people they allege that her ministry left out in Budget 2022'. Sitharaman referred to the 2013 comment by Rahul Gandhi stating that poverty is a state of mind. She asked this is what Congress wished in the Budget to be featured. Sitharaman asked, "Please clarify, is this the poverty you want me to address, the poverty of mind?"

Opposing the remark, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the Finance Minister is mocking the poor people. Sitharaman said she is not mocking the poor people. Hitting back at Chaturvedi, Sitharaman said, "The person who has mocked the poor people, you are alliance with his party." The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha said only the Finance Minister speech would be on record. Sitharaman added she is astonished that a thinking lady is saying that she is mocking the poor people, whereas her party (SS) is in alliance with Congress in Maharashtra. She explained it was not her statement. She was quoting the person. The Opposition called protests following Sitharaman's reference to 'poverty is a state of mind'.

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Sitharaman, citing a Tamil proverb, stated that she did not name anyone, but everyone began defending her. She said, "If you want a rough translation of the Tamil proverb." During the rainy season, she explained that no one knows where the frog is, but it goes croak-croak. On Friday, Sitharaman responded to questions in the Upper House regarding Budget 2022.

While reverting to the accusation of the former Finance minister on the Budget 2022, that has nothing for the poor, Sitharaman questioned, what poor are they referring to? She read Rahul Gandhi's statement poverty does not mean the scarcity of food, money or material things. It is possible to overcome it if one has self-confidence. He stated that it is a state of mind. Sitharaman said, I have not named the person, but we know who is it. She also stated that the comment had been widely reported in the media and that she was simply quoting the Congress leader.

Sitharaman targeted Congress senior leader Kapil Sibal. She stressed, Sibal said, 'India is not in Amrit Kaal but in Rahu Kaal since 2014'. The Minister said, 'Rahul-Kaal' is what produces G-23. With the reference of 2013, the incident of Rahul Gandhi criticising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ordinance, Sitharaman said, that time was the 'Rahu-Kaal.' G-23 is a pack of 23 Congress rebel leaders. Kapil Sibal is one of them.

Sitharaman said senior party leaders are leaving the party. The party's slogan is 'Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon,' but Rajasthan's women are left powerless.

On the Opposition's charge, Nirmal Sitharaman is disconnected from ground reality, as she is not an elected member, Sitharaman responded, "Did the honourable member imply that all Rajya Sabha members of their time, including the former Prime Minister, were disconnected from reality?"

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