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'You can find Pappu in West Bengal': Nirmala Sitharaman hits back at TMC leader Mahua Moitra

On Tuesday, Moitra criticised the government over certain macroeconomic data and also remarked that the question is not who started the fire but who gave the "mad man" the "maachis".

You can find Pappu in West Bengal Nirmala Sitharaman hits back at TMC leader Mahua Moitra AJR
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First Published Dec 14, 2022, 9:04 PM IST

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday (December 14) slammed Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra's attack on Narendra Modi government and said that "Pappu" can be found in West Bengal and the "maachis" of people's mandate given to Mamata Banerjee's party led to arson and loot in the state post election victory.

Addressing the lower house, Sitharaman sought to highlight the difference in situation in terms of post election results in Gujarat and West Bengal.

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Gujarat was peaceful post BJP's recent assembly election victory but there was "arson, looting, rape and burning of houses of our party workers" after TMC won the West Bengal polls in 2021, the minister said.

"Loktantra mein janata sarkar ke haath mein maachis dethi hain. Isliye, prashan yeh nahi hona chahiye ki haath mein maachis kisne di, asli prashan to yeh hai ki maachis ka upayog kis prakar kiya gaya (In democracy, people give matchsticks in the hands of the government. So the question should not be who gave the matchsticks but how the matchsticks were used)," Sitharaman said.

On Tuesday, Moitra criticised the government over certain macroeconomic data and also remarked that the question is not who started the fire but who gave the "mad man" the "maachis".

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While hitting back at Moitra during the reply to the debate on the supplementary demand for grants, Sitharaman also said, "hamare haath main jab maachis thee, humne Ujjawala diya, humne Ujala diya, humne PM Kisan diya, humne Swachh Bharat Abhiyan chalaya (when we got the mandate, we gave free cooking gas, electricity connections, Rs 6,000 annual cash to farmers, and started clean India campaign).

Taking a dig at Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, Sitharaman said that when that party got the "maachis", there was arsoning, looting, rapes, and burning of houses of BJP workers.

On Tuesday, the TMC leader had launched a broadside on the government's economic management as well as BJP's politics of shielding rape accused.

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Citing decline in certain macro economic data, she had repeatedly asked who is the "Pappu" now and said the question is not who started the fire, but who gave the "mad man" the matches. 'Pappu' is a term that BJP supporters use to describe Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

(With inputs from PTI)

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