New Delhi, March 8: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today read out growth rate statistics in the Rajya Sabha to underline that growth rates during the last nine years of UPA regime had been higher than during the NDA rule.
Dr Singh said, growth rates during NDA rule was 6.7 pc in 1998-99, 7.6 in 1999-2000, 4.3 in 2000-01, 5.5 in 2001-02, 4.0 in 2002-03 and 8.1 pc in 2003-04.
During UPA regime, the growth rates were 7 pc in 2004-05, 9.5 in 2005-06, 9.6 in 2006-07, 9.3 in 2007-08, 6.7 in 2008-09, 8.6 in 2009-2010, 9.3 in 2010-11, 6.2 in 2011-12, and above 5 pc in 2012-13, the PM said.
Dr Singh said the Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley has thus misled the House by saying that the NDA had given a healthy economy to the UPA.
"When men are full of envy, they disparage everything", said Dr Singh.
During his entire speech, the Prime Minister did not touch the issue relating to various scams during the UPA, forcing Jaitley to remark that the PM has not made a single remark about corruption. "UPA's corruption is not an envy for us", said Jaitley.
The Prime Minister was hopeful of the economy recovering to 7 to 8 pc growth rate in the next 2 to 3 years.
He pointed out that when as Finance Minister he brought new economic policies in 1991, "I was told that that my budget was prepared not in Delhi, but in Washington", but the fact was that there were three non-Congress governments which followed our government, and pursued the same economic policies. "So the path chosen is the right path", Dr Singh added.
The Prime Minister had special praise for Bihar saying that Bihar among the BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) states has recorded a remarkable growth rate. "Whether Bihar or MP succeed, we are all very happy over their success", Dr Singh said.
On Pakistan, Dr Singh said that there cannot be any normalisation in India-Pakistan relations so long as the terror machine existing in Pakistan is not brought under control.
"Our policy relating to Pakistan has been in place for the last nine years, and this policy will continue in dealing with Pakistan in the years to come", Dr Singh said.
Rajya Sabha later unanimously passed the Motion of Thanks for the President's address.
