Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury trade barbs over devolution of funds to states

New Delhi, February 5

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday entered into a verbal duel over devolution of funds and GST compensation to states, with the latter accusing the Centre of neglecting non-BJP ruled states, to which Sitharaman retaliated by saying that the government goes by the recommendations of the finance commission.

Centre biased

The Central govt is discriminating against non-BJP-ruled states while releasing funds and GST compensation. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Cong leader

No discrimination

I have to follow the finance commission’s recommendations... when there’s a recommendation, it’s done without any bias. Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister

A visibly angry Finance Minister slammed the allegations by the Congress MP as a “politically-vitiated narrative” being spread by “vested interest groups”. The heated exchange took place during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the “financial viability of states/UTs”.

She got provoked when Chowdhury accused the Centre of adopting a position of “discrimination” towards non-BJP states while releasing funds and GST compensation.

During the discussion, Sitharaman said she does not have the right to change (allocations) as per her whims and fancies, “or because I like a state or if another party is in power in a state. This is against my party’s politics”.

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