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NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday she had decided against contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh as she lacked funds to fight polls and may not meet the ‘winnability criteria’ in the two states.
“The party did ask me but after thinking over it for a week or 10 days, I went back and said, ‘maybe, not’…I don’t have the kind of money to contest. I also have a problem because, whether it is Andhra or Tamil Nadu, it’s also going to be a question of… are you from this community or are you from that religion,” she said while responding to a question at the Times Now Summit 2024. She said BJP president JP Nadda had suggested that she could contest from one of the two states.
When asked how the finance minister didn’t have funds, she said, “My salary, my earnings, and my savings are mine and not the Consolidated Fund of India”.
Several ministers in Modi’s cabinet, such as Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Bhupender Yadav, who are from the Rajya Sabha, are in the fray for a Lok Sabha seat this time.
Sitharaman said the party was confident of achieving the target of 370 seats set by PM Modi and was working towards that goal. “PM has set the target. We will strive for it. He is confident that people have seen what this govt has given,” she said, adding that the Modi govt has provided stability, a period of no strife, no corruption, free food and investment in creating assets that will last 100 years. “Every section has seen visible development happening. The way people respond to him, these aren’t a mobilised crowd. All of us are confident that there is resonance on the ground. Therefore, 370 is not just a dream, but a realisable target,” she said.
In his theme address, Times Group MD Vineet Jain said India is not just rising but soaring to new heights. “India, the land of diversity and heritage, is now seen as unstoppable. From the political arena to the global economic stage, from diplomatic corridors to military frontiers, India is making its mark and shaping the future of the world,” he said, adding that India’s democratic exercise serves as a model for the world.
“The party did ask me but after thinking over it for a week or 10 days, I went back and said, ‘maybe, not’…I don’t have the kind of money to contest. I also have a problem because, whether it is Andhra or Tamil Nadu, it’s also going to be a question of… are you from this community or are you from that religion,” she said while responding to a question at the Times Now Summit 2024. She said BJP president JP Nadda had suggested that she could contest from one of the two states.
When asked how the finance minister didn’t have funds, she said, “My salary, my earnings, and my savings are mine and not the Consolidated Fund of India”.
Several ministers in Modi’s cabinet, such as Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Bhupender Yadav, who are from the Rajya Sabha, are in the fray for a Lok Sabha seat this time.
Sitharaman said the party was confident of achieving the target of 370 seats set by PM Modi and was working towards that goal. “PM has set the target. We will strive for it. He is confident that people have seen what this govt has given,” she said, adding that the Modi govt has provided stability, a period of no strife, no corruption, free food and investment in creating assets that will last 100 years. “Every section has seen visible development happening. The way people respond to him, these aren’t a mobilised crowd. All of us are confident that there is resonance on the ground. Therefore, 370 is not just a dream, but a realisable target,” she said.
In his theme address, Times Group MD Vineet Jain said India is not just rising but soaring to new heights. “India, the land of diversity and heritage, is now seen as unstoppable. From the political arena to the global economic stage, from diplomatic corridors to military frontiers, India is making its mark and shaping the future of the world,” he said, adding that India’s democratic exercise serves as a model for the world.
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