Hyderabad: Mallikarjuna Kharge livid at PM Modi for selling national assets

Hyderabad: Congress party floor leader in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Centre was selling national assets for mobilising Rs 6 lakh crore funds. He made it clear that the government move would not help people in any manner.

Kharge charged that Modi had already sold Rs 3.5 lakh crore worth national assets so far. He reminded people that Jawaharlal Nehru had set up public sector companies to improve the country's economic condition. "Nehru thought encouragement of public and private sector companies will help the country to achieve composite economic growth. He ensured that 35 lakh people were employed in the public sector companies."

The Congress leader expressed anger that the BJP-led government was selling all public sector undertakings, from banking, railways and insurance.

He expressed concern that selling of the public sector companies would end benefits of reservations to different sections. He reminded that although the former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao invited FDIs into the country in 1991, he never troubled the public sector.