'NDA Didn't Waive a Single Paisa of Any Industrialist, Rahul's Allegations False'

Lucknow: The NDA government has "not waived even a single paisa" of any industrialist and Rahul Gandhi is levelling "false allegations" in this regard, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted on Tuesday.

"Rahul Gandhi, in his rallies, has been alleging that the Central government has waived over Rs one lakh crore loan of 50 top industrial houses in the country, but his statement is totally wrong," Jaitely told newspersons here.

"The Narendra Modi government has not waived even a single paisa of any industrialist till now... Rahul might not be having full information...

"Actually, he is levelling false allegations against the previous UPA government as most of the non-performing assets today belong to those who had been given loans by the Congress-led government," he claimed.

To another question, Jaitley said, "Demonetisation has nothing to do with Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections... it is a part of the government's programme to clean up both economic and political systems."

On the SP-led Uttar Pradesh government's allegation of lack of enough Central help, he said, "This is totally wrong."

"Under the constitutional provisions, the Centre cannot cut even a single rupee in allocation to the state... 42 per cent of the revenue collected by the Central government belongs to the state and there is no scope of cutting even a single rupee," he said.

Jaitley claimed since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the wave in favour of BJP in Uttar Pradesh has remained intact, and expressed confidence that his party will gain majority very easily.

Terming the SP-Congress alliance as "opportunist", he said Samajwadi Party ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia had given a call of 'Congress hatao, desh bachao' but that anti-Congress movement has been hit in Uttar Pradesh with SP tying up with that party.

For sake of the alliance, the ideology has been set aside, Jaitley alleged.

Targetting Akhilesh Yadav, he alleged Samajwadi Party had established the tradition of 'gangster raj' in politics in the past and the party has "embraced it once again" after "staging a drama" of shunning it.

Jaitley said when BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, it, along with the Modi-led Central government, would transform the state.