Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday hit out at Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of “baseless statements” on India's public sector banks (PSB).Earlier in the day,

Rahul Gandhi had asked the Modi government to stop using PSBs as "an unlimited source of funds for their fraudulent friends."

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman strongly criticized Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his comments regarding the functioning of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) under the

While Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led Centre of using PSBs as an unlimited source of funds for "fraudulent friends", Sitharaman hit out at the MP saying the Congress-led UPA regime treated public banks as "ATMs for their cronies and shady businessmen".

Earlier in the day yesterday, Gandhi, after meeting some bank associations, said the government is using the banks as an unlimited source of funds.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman termed the allegation of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi against state-owned banks a "misrepresentation of facts" and an "insult to the hardworking employees and to the citizens".

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended public sector banks against Rahul Gandhi's criticism, highlighting their improved health and employee-friendly measures under the Modi government. She cited increased recruitment,