Govt obsessed with fixing blame: Manmohan Singh responds to Sitharaman's worst phase jibe

New Delhi, Oct 17: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that the government "is obsessed with trying to fix blame on its opponents" instead of finding solutions.

Singh's statement comes a day after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman issued a statement blaming him for the bank crisis.

"Manufacturing sector of Maharashtra has witnessed decline in last four quarters. The state was hit by grave economic slowdown; govt's apathy, incapability worsening situation, said Manmohan Singh while addressing a press conference.

"Business sentiments are down across the state of Maharashtra, many face closure. There is a dearth of opportunities in the otherwise vibrant state of Maharashtra.... every third youth is jobless in the state. Distress facing rural areas will only add to unemployment problem as migration increases Maharashtra used to be No 1 in attracting investment... today it is No 1 in farmer suicides," he added.

"BJP govt have been unwilling to adopt people oriented policies as seen in statements by Nirmala Sitharaman. Before one can fix the economy one needs proper diagnosis of the problem," he further said.

Speaking on PMC Bank crisis, Singh said "Hope this issue (PMC Bank crisis) figures prominently in the Winter session of Parliament next month. RBI is a great national institution. Do hope and trust it applies its mind to find credible solutions... PM, govt of Maharashtra and FM should also apply their mind to find a solution."

On Kashmir issue, Singh said that the Congress does not need a certificate of patriotism from the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS.

"The Congress party voted in favor of the bill to abrogate Article 370, not against it. We believe Article 370 is a temporary measure, but if a change has to be brought, it should be with goodwill of the people of J&K. Manner in which it was implemented is what we opposed," he said.