“Whom are you laughing upon, the people…” Union FM Sitharaman slams KCR for calling USD 5 trillion economy aim a “joke”

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 16 (ANI): Retorting to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement of dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious target of reaching a USD 5 trillion economy as a “joke”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that the debt of the state crossed Rs 3 lakh crores from Rs 60,000 crores in 2014.

“How can you tell that aim of a 5 trillion economy is a joke? Every state should contribute towards it. Who are you laughing upon, the people? In 2014, the debt of Telangana was Rs 60,000 crores, but in the last 7-8 years it has crossed Rs 3 lakh crores,” she told reporters here in Hyderabad.

KCR, recently stoked controversy with his statement, after he termed USD 5 trillion economy as a “joke” and “silly”. He also said that the target should have been much bigger.

In a viral video, he was also heard saying that there is nothing great about making the Indian economy worth USD 5 trillion by 2025 and that it is something an ordinary “clerk” can account for.

“What is the extra effort you are putting in? Nothing. If you are able to do it, If you’ve innovative skills, if you are a dynamic government, please do something like china in the line of Deng Xiaoping, something in line with Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. That is something great, not USD 5 trillion economy,” KCR said in a video.

Launching a scathing attack on the Rao-led government, Finance Minister also said that after 2014, the money spent by PM Modi in the Upadi Hami scheme is more than what the ones who brought the scheme have spent.

She also aimed at Rao for not having appropriate data regarding medical colleges in the state.

“When the centre asked for the list of places to put up medical colleges, the state listed Karimnagar and Khammam, but those places already had medical colleges. Now you are telling that you did not receive a single medical college in the 157 medical colleges from the centre. You do not have the data of which places in Telagana have medical colleges and you are blaming NDA as No Data Available,” she proclaimed.