Countering Prime Minister's argument that "excessive pessimism" at home has hurt India's growth process, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj today claimed that "cynicism" created by government's lack of initiative is to be blamed for the slowdown.         

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of FICCI where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier taken a dig at parties opposing the reforms saying they were "ignorant of global realities or are constrained by out-dated ideologies," she said it was not the opposition but "internal differences in the government and among its allies" which were delaying key bills    

"It is not pessimism but an atmosphere of cynicism... More than policy the right environment is important but here everyday there are scams," Swaraj said.           

She maintained that the Opposition is only performing its role of the watchdog and asked the government to introspect. She said that the scams are not mere allegations levelled by the Opposition but have been unearthed by constitutional bodies like the CAG.