FM’s dig at Chidambaram: Budget transparent; doubtful under UPA

New Delhi, Feb 12 : Denying allegations of non-transparency in budgetary numbers, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the Modi government’s Budget was “clear and transparent”, while indicating that numbers were doubtful during the UPA rule.
Her statement came after Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the major numbers in this year’s Budget were “suspect”.
In her reply to the debate on the Union Budget 2021-22, Sitharaman said: “What you get as Budget is what you get in it. No pushing anything under the carpet…” She highlighted instances in the 2007-08 Budget, saying those numbers were “suspect”.
“I will give three concrete proofs of how accounts were suspect. I can give you clear proof of how data became suspect at times, which did not occur under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” she said, alluding to the UPA rule.
Sitharaman suggested that 60 per cent jump in 2007-08 capex numbers also included Rs 40,000 crore financially neutral deal involving the RBI and SBI.