Rahul tarnishing govt.’s efforts to fill state coffers: Smriti Irani

Union Minister rebuts Congress MP’s allegation on asset monetisation

Union Minister Smriti Irani took on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government’s monetisation programme, stating that the opposition party was “upset” that India will make ₹6 lakh crore from that exercise. She reiterated that the Congress was trying to tarnish the Centre's image for working to fill state coffers transparently while keeping them secure from the “robbers” of the opposition party. In a personal attack, the Minister said: “This man’s (Rahul Gandhi) politics begins with hypocrisy, is sustained through arrogance and ends with contempt,” adding that the Congress leader on Tuesday displayed all of it. She pointed out that the coalition government in Maharashtra, of which the Congress is a member, had monetised the Mumbai-Pune Expressway for ₹8,000 crore, asking if Mr. Gandhi’s charge meant it had sold the asset.