Asking Indian industry to show “patience” over reforms and development, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said the government is “running”, not walking, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The comments assume significance as they follow criticism by eminent banker Deepak Parekh that impatience has begun creeping in among businessmen as nothing has changed on ground in the first nine months of the Modi-led government.
“Today when I am trying to push certain reforms, I have to go carefully. Take the people along with me and others also...and then only I can move forward. This is the system, this is the constitution,” said the Parliamentary and Urban Development Minister, while addressing the members in industry body CII here. “So please understand. Have some patience, this government is only nine months old,” he added. “In nine months, normally, one starts walking but this government is running. Prime Minister Modi is practically running. He wants actions, reforms and development,” he said. Some people were happy while some were critical of the government, Naidu said indicating to Parekh’s recent remarks.
“One of the leading bankers also recently said that the pace is slow. Sir, try to understand the system. Without that you can not move, (otherwise) you will be called a dictator and you can not be a dictator. You are not in emergency (rule) and we do not want to have an emergency. We want urgency, not emergency,” he stressed. Naidu, who is also Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said the government wants to do things at a faster pace and is moving in that direction taking along people, parliament, political parties and media with it as it is a democracy.
“I have to go to Lok Sabha, then to Rajya Sabha, otherwise it (reform) will go to parlok sabha”, he said in a lighter vein. He said the NDA government has inherited an economy of several deficits including fiscal, trade, CAD, governance as well as trust deficit. “Now the trust is coming back. The leadership is coming back, the economy is back on rails. But I know some of you (industry) are impatient. Things are not happening, you should have moved faster. But you should understand that we are a democracy,” he said.
On criticism that the new government is pro-corporate, Naidu said it has become a fashion for some people to criticise government’s every move and questioned, “should the government be anti-industry. Industry is an important component of India’s growth. That has to be appreciated and understood by one and all. Without industrial growth, the country can not prosper. I will say in this villages also. Agriculture and industry are like both eyes. If you lose one, then you will have only one eye,” he said.
He added that it is the government’s duty to see that the fruits of economic development reach to the poor and downtrodden. Referring to unruly scenes in Parliament, Naidu said that some members shout that this government is working for Ambanis and Adanis.
Decision-making error does not necessarily equal corruption : FM
Stressing on the need to differentiate between “errors and corruption” in bureaucratic decision making, Finance Minister Arun Jatiley on Monday said the Government is considering amending the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“A large number of criminal cases, both against industry and decision makers, which have recently, in the last few years, disrupted the economic and business environment of this country need to be seriously addressed by looking at the language of the Act,” he said. He asked industry “to set up some working groups and assist in this debate as to what changes are required.
The comments assume significance as they follow criticism by eminent banker Deepak Parekh that impatience has begun creeping in among businessmen as nothing has changed on ground in the first nine months of the Modi-led government.
“Today when I am trying to push certain reforms, I have to go carefully. Take the people along with me and others also...and then only I can move forward. This is the system, this is the constitution,” said the Parliamentary and Urban Development Minister, while addressing the members in industry body CII here. “So please understand. Have some patience, this government is only nine months old,” he added. “In nine months, normally, one starts walking but this government is running. Prime Minister Modi is practically running. He wants actions, reforms and development,” he said. Some people were happy while some were critical of the government, Naidu said indicating to Parekh’s recent remarks.
“One of the leading bankers also recently said that the pace is slow. Sir, try to understand the system. Without that you can not move, (otherwise) you will be called a dictator and you can not be a dictator. You are not in emergency (rule) and we do not want to have an emergency. We want urgency, not emergency,” he stressed. Naidu, who is also Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said the government wants to do things at a faster pace and is moving in that direction taking along people, parliament, political parties and media with it as it is a democracy.
“I have to go to Lok Sabha, then to Rajya Sabha, otherwise it (reform) will go to parlok sabha”, he said in a lighter vein. He said the NDA government has inherited an economy of several deficits including fiscal, trade, CAD, governance as well as trust deficit. “Now the trust is coming back. The leadership is coming back, the economy is back on rails. But I know some of you (industry) are impatient. Things are not happening, you should have moved faster. But you should understand that we are a democracy,” he said.
On criticism that the new government is pro-corporate, Naidu said it has become a fashion for some people to criticise government’s every move and questioned, “should the government be anti-industry. Industry is an important component of India’s growth. That has to be appreciated and understood by one and all. Without industrial growth, the country can not prosper. I will say in this villages also. Agriculture and industry are like both eyes. If you lose one, then you will have only one eye,” he said.
He added that it is the government’s duty to see that the fruits of economic development reach to the poor and downtrodden. Referring to unruly scenes in Parliament, Naidu said that some members shout that this government is working for Ambanis and Adanis.
Decision-making error does not necessarily equal corruption : FM
Stressing on the need to differentiate between “errors and corruption” in bureaucratic decision making, Finance Minister Arun Jatiley on Monday said the Government is considering amending the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“A large number of criminal cases, both against industry and decision makers, which have recently, in the last few years, disrupted the economic and business environment of this country need to be seriously addressed by looking at the language of the Act,” he said. He asked industry “to set up some working groups and assist in this debate as to what changes are required.