NEW DELHI, 17 May: A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged the IMF to rethink its assistance to Pakistan, the Congress on Saturday alleged that the Modi government had “simply buckled under US pressure” at the IMF executive board meeting when the loans to that country were deliberated upon.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Singh is now criticising the IMF for approving loans to Pakistan on 9 May, “but on 29 April itself – before the Modi government woke up – the Congress had said that the IMF executive board was meeting on 9 May to consider this issue and that India should oppose it forcefully.”
“As it turns out India only abstained on 9 May. Later the Modi government’s drumbeaters, cheerleaders and apologists argued that this was the only option available to India. This is a lie,” Ramesh claimed.
There is indeed a provision to vote ‘no’ in the executive board, he said.
Russia had voted ‘no’ on a loan proposal to Ukraine in September 2016 and India herself had voted ‘no’ on 11 September, 2005, on the issue of the expulsion of Zimbabwe, the Congress leader said.
“Where there is will there is a way. The Modi government simply buckled under US pressure on 9 May at the IMF executive board meeting,” Ramesh said.
In its board meeting in Washington on 9 May, the IMF cleared a USD 1 billion tranche for Pakistan as part of its USD 7 billion funding programme for the country. (PTI)
