‘Which planet she is living in’: Priyanka Gandhi's barb at Nirmala Sitharaman over reply in Lok Sabha

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi took a dig at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for saying that "there is no inflation, there is no rise in unemployment" during her speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, February 9.

"I don't know which planet she is living in. She is saying there is no inflation, there is no rise in unemployment, there is no rise in prices...," Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also criticised Sitharaman's speech, calling it "unsatisfactory". He said the value of Rupee is dropping and economy is sinking. "Still, they keep making a romantic picture...Blaming others and declaring oneself good...," he added.

What did Nirmala Sitharaman say in Parliament?

During the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the inflation trend, particularly food, appears to be moderating. She also said the government is using almost the entire borrowing in 2025-26 towards financing capital expenditure.

Sitharaman went on to dispell concerns over a rise in Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying that there is not even one item on which the rate has been increased after the implementation of GST regime.

Intervening during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman said that GST rates have been brought down and the average GST rate has come down to 11.3 per cent from 15.8 per cent (at the time of GST implementation).

"That is the level of rate of reduction in the GST Council. Therefore I appeal to all the members here, kindly spare some time, meet your respective finance ministers in the states as to what kind of work is going," she was quoted by PTI as saying.

Sitharaman said that the Indian economy is seeing a "speedy rebound" from 5.4 per cent growth clocked in the second quarter of the current fiscal, and the government shall take measures to ensure that India remains the world's fastest-growing economy.

The finance minister said the Budget has taken various steps to increase liquidity in the hands of people while maintaining fiscal prudence by using 99 per cent of the borrowing in FY 26 to fund capital expenditure.

(With inputs from agencies)