Congress Dismisses PM's GDP Video as 'PR Exercise', Flags Inflation and Unemployment
Congress leaders Kharge and Ramesh attack the government's celebration of 7.8% Q1 GDP growth, calling it a PR exercise and questioning the data.
The Congress party on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the central government's celebration of the 7.8% GDP growth recorded in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge dismissed a video message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue as a "PR exercise," while other leaders questioned the accuracy of the data.
In a post on X, Mr. Kharge said the Prime Minister may have the "luxury" to celebrate the figures, but ordinary citizens are burdened by what he called the three 'U's — "unprecedented unemployment, unbearable price rise and unbridled inequality." He alleged that the promise of creating 2 crore jobs annually has not been fulfilled and pointed to rising costs of essential goods and fuel.
Mr. Kharge also accused the government of fostering "rampant crony capitalism," claiming that its policies have facilitated a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich through corporate loan write-offs.
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh went further, describing the GDP numbers as "statistical gymnastics." He pointed to a discrepancy between the implied inflation rate in the GDP data and the actual Wholesale Price Index inflation, which he said was over 9% during the quarter. Mr. Ramesh alleged that the government changed its methodology for calculating GDP twice this year, which has obscured the true state of the economy.
"If the Modi government gave us honest numbers, the real growth number would be much lower," Mr. Ramesh said. He added that while the Make in India initiative has achieved little, the government's "Fake in India" scheme continues unabated.
In a separate post, Mr. Ramesh highlighted the impact of rising prices on everyday life, noting that inflation has extended beyond kitchen staples to affect the cost of building homes and purchasing electrical goods. He cited rising prices of copper and aluminium, which have increased the cost of wiring houses, as well as more expensive solar panels, fans, and household appliances.
"Inflation is giving a shock to the public's pocket from all directions, yet the arrogant Modi government remains intent on masking this reality," he said.
The Prime Minister, in his video message, had said the growth figure punctured the narrative of pessimism surrounding the economy and called for maintaining momentum while strengthening self-reliance.