Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge releases 'Black Paper' countering Centre's 'White Paper'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has unveiled a 'black paper' to counter the Centre's anticipated 'white paper,' which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to present during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament. Kharge expressed that the purpose of the 'black paper' is to highlight the failures of the Narendra Modi-led central government's 10-year governance tenure.

Emphasizing the need to inform the public about the government's shortcomings, Kharge, during a press conference, mentioned that the 'black paper' specifically addresses discrimination against non-BJP states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana. The 'black paper' focuses on areas such as unemployment, inflation, and farmers' distress.

The 'black paper' release comes amid the government's announcement of a 'white paper' comparing the economic performance of the Congress-led UPA government's 10-year tenure with that of the BJP-led NDA government. Kharge asserted that the Congress played a pivotal role in securing the country's independence and vowed to lead the nation out of the BJP's perceived 'darkness of injustice' in 2024.

He expressed concerns about the state of democracy, alleging that 411 MLAs were coerced to join the BJP in the last decade, leading to the toppling of several Congress-led governments. The 'white paper,' to be presented by Sitharaman, aims to evaluate and analyze the government's economic strategy over the years, covering fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy, and exchange rate policy.