'People make PMs': FM slams Congress MP

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said it is the people who make Prime Ministers as she snubbed Congress leader KC Venugopal for saying in Rajya Sabha that Chaudhary Charan Singh-awarded the Bharat Ratna by the government on Friday-was made the PM by his party.

- Rajeev Jayaswal

The comments were part of the minister's response on the discussion on a White Paper on the economy that the government presented to parliament on Thursday, triggering a blame game between the treasury and opposition benches, with the latter alleging the exercise was with a political motive.

In particular, Sitharaman hit back at Congress's Venugopal for his remarks on the Bharat Ratna decision. "Who made Charan Singh PM was the observation by KC Venugopal ji. People make PMs. I hope the Congress party is not living in a myth that they make PM, they throw PM, they bring in PM, they reject PM. No, people have rejected the Congress,"

Sitharaman said. The attack was in continuation with Sitharaman's criticism of the previous Congressled United Progressive Alliance government, which the White Paper describes as having mismanaged the economy.