Gujarat Confidential: Banter and comebacks

When asked why the Income Tax Department had raised the target for tax collection, amid allegations made by businessmen that they were being harassed, she responded saying“the journalist has made up his mind”. (Source: File)

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was in Ahmedabad last week to interact with Income Tax officers and business persons, also met the media. There was banter, comebacks and counter allegations at the interaction. When a journalist questioned her regarding the Indian economy experiencing a slowdown, she replied that her view was different “from the narrative set by the media”. When asked why the Income Tax Department had raised the target for tax collection, amid allegations made by businessmen that they were being harassed, she responded saying“the journalist has made up his mind”. When told of a rumour that the Rs 2,000 currency would become invalid soon she said, “That’s news to me!”

On Thangadh Report

Yogendra Paswan, a member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, visited Gujarat Monday and held hearings on representations received from various persons in the state, at Ahmedabad Circuit House. One of the representations was reportedly about making public the report of senior IAS officer Sanjay Prasad, regarding the killing of three Dalit youths in Thangadh town of Surendranagar district by police in September 2012. Human rights activist Kirit Rathod, who made the representation, said the Commission member gave the assurance he would meet Social Justice & Empowerment Minister Ishvar Parmar and the Chief Secretary for taking necessary action. The state government has not made the report public even six years after it was submitted in May 2013.

This article originally named Nirmala Sitharaman as the Home Minister. The error is regretted.