Nirmala Sitharaman slams Akhilesh Yadav over banking sector criticisms

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has criticized Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, labeling his recent comments regarding the banking sector as “absurd and baseless.” The dispute arose after Yadav raised twelve questions on social media concerning banking practices, including penalties for failing to maintain minimum balances, service charges for SMS and ATM usage, and the conduct of debt recovery agents.

Sitharaman defended the current administration, stating that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has revitalized the banking sector and promoted financial inclusion. She accused Yadav of attempting to distract the public from ground-level issues due to fear of upcoming election losses.

Separately, Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar launched a verbal attack on Akhilesh Yadav, questioning his influence within the opposition alliance. Rajbhar claimed that Yadav is being marginalized by his political allies in Delhi and predicted that the Samajwadi Party will face a significant decline in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.