New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday defended the Centre's proposed sale of a majority stake in IDBI Bank, hitting back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the disinvestment move. She accused previous Congress-led governments of interfering in the functioning of public sector banks and influencing lending decisions, which, she alleged, contributed to the accumulation of bad loans.
In a post on X, Sitharaman alleged that political pressure was frequently used during Congress rule to push banks into extending loans without adhering to established lending practices.
Citing historical instances, she referred to the removal of former State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman R.K. Talwar in 1976 a...