India's Image Under Attack: Sitharaman Blasts Opposition

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) In an apparent attack on the Opposition, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said conspiracy is being carried out to damage India's image and give a message to foreign investors that the country is not safe for investment.

Replying to a discussion on Budget 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha, the minister said, "India's social fabric, parliamentary traditions, economy and the armed forces are all four being severely attacked".

If there is instability and anarchy in the country, the journey towards Viksit Bharat will be more difficult, she said, adding that this is a huge challenge.

India's social fabric, parliamentary traditions, economy and the armed forces -- all four are being severely attacked, she said.

Stressing that India has united its diverse society through hard work over the generations, she said, "Today, through a conspiracy, the fault lines of our society are being exposed. Mistrust is being created against each other in the society through fallacy, lies and deceit".

Efforts are being made to create such a situation that even a spark will lead to a lot of conflict, she said.

Similarly, she said, the attacks on the armed forces are also being intensified on some pretext or the other.

She alleged that whatever is happening today regarding Agniveer is a part of this conspiracy.

Apart from the society, she said, the economy, Parliament, and army are all under attack.

"When the people of India have really struggled to come out of COVID and building a society on their effort. We as people representing them in this house at least recognise the hard work of our people and not undermine India as a country, which is growing at this rate," she said.

So, she wondered, entrepreneurship itself is being made a villain, which is a shame.

"Hard-working entrepreneurs are building this country. The conspiracy is to end India's entrepreneurship culture, even before it fully blooms and thereby, hitting India's Indian core backbone, which is the entrepreneurship of Small and Medium units and enterprises that are building India," she noted.

"Negativity is being spread in society towards all those who do business, and this hatred for business and wealth creators is spilling everywhere. There is a conspiracy to send a message to the entire world that India is not safe for investors. And this is not good," she emphasised.

She said that rumours are being spread that Indian institutions cannot guarantee security to foreign investments, which is really a sad situation.

Pointing out that forces are harping on strategic instability, economic instability and political instability, Sitharaman said, "We should all fight together so that such kind of instability-building people should be taught a lesson".

There is a huge nexus behind this, which is carrying out this conspiracy from the streets and even to Parliament, she said.

Rueing the fact that no debate takes place without protest, the Finance Minister said, "You don't even hear answers, which are being given and I'm sorry to remind this honourable house, that when the Prime Minister stood up to speak most disruption happened and people (opposition) did not want to listen to him".