Ahmadinejad accuses Rafsanjani of insulting the nation

http://www.iranvnc.com/en/floater_article/1/6066

SUBSIDIES – AHMADINEJAD – RAFSANJANI – POVERTY-FOSTERING Washington, 19 November (IranVNC)—Tensions increased yesterday in Iran’s presidential campaign, as the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leveled criticisms at Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the chairman of the Expediency Council.Speaking in the provincial capital of Zanjan on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad reacted to Rafsanjani’s criticism of the government’s economic policies, specifically regarding subsidies, by describing him as an elitist who was “distancing himself from the nation,” and “insulting the nation” by defending the wealthy minority to the detriment of the majority. During the second International Symposium of Iran, on Sunday [16 November] Rafsanjani had accused Ahmadinejad government’s subsidies, describing them as “poverty-fostering” and “alms-fostering”. “Poverty-fostering will not produce results when one is trying to build up the country’s economy, and we must take important and essential steps in the field of production.”According to Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, on Wednesday in Zanjan, Ahmadinejad said: “Some are unhappy about efforts undertaken based on the principle of justice and say if the subsidies are targeted and is distributed justly, instead of being given to a minority, this is ‘poverty-fostering’.”But, he added: “Wouldn’t it be ‘poverty-fostering’, precisely if these subsidies were eaten up by a few, like you, whose pockets are full, bellies are full, and whose wealth is immeasurable. Is it only ‘poverty-fostering’ if [these subsidies] are distributed among the people?”