Pune: CRITICISING BJP's manifesto which was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days back, the Maharashtra Congress has sought a white paper on the four-fold rise of country's debt.

''In last 10 years of Modi Government, the country's debt has surged four-fold

Till 2014 the country had a debt of Rs 53.87 lakh. How did the debt rise to Rs 205 lakh crore. ? Why is the Government on loan taking spree ? Why is there silence on this front in the BJP's manifesto? Where was the '4 times debt' increased by the country spent? And who is responsible for this?,'' asked Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari at a press conference ysterday.

Till 2014 before the Modi government came, under Dr. Manmohan Singh's Congress-led UPA 1 and 2, about 15 previous governments had maintained adequate GDP, growth rate, import-export rates, 'dollar-rupee rate' in the country and also controlled the inflation rate at a high level for 65 years. In 2014, the total loan taken by the country (till 2014) was only Rs 53.87 lakh crore. ''Now there has been an exponential rise in it. The Modi Government should come out with a white paper explaining the reasons for this rise,'' Mr demanded

Mr Tiwari said the Dr. Manmohan Singh Government had controlled the rates of petrol to Rs 70 per litre diesel to Rs 35 per liter and domestic gas cylinder to Rs 390, and previous governments had also controlled inflation and at the same time in 2010. ''When Congress-led UPA government was in power, India was going to become an economic superpower' in the world,'' he claimed.

Seeking to known BJP's gameplan, Mr Tiwari asked,''Why is the BJP hiding the 'debt burden' of the country? BJP, which bakes its political bread in the name of 'Modi guarantee' in everything, cannot shy away from its responsibilities. If Modi and BJP have courage, it should set the record straight over the four-fold increase in country's debt.'

Mr Tiwari said, the time has come to remove the Modi government from power which is ruining the country's economic condition by burdening the country with increasing debt. '' BJP can no longer hide behind the false and misleading 'Modi Guarantee...When INDIA bloc comes to power, BJP will have lot of explaining to do,'' he said.