Congress lists key concerns ahead of Union budget

Ahead of Union budget, Congress has charged the Modi government with mishandling key sectors of the economy and listed many areas, including what it called the slowdown of the economy, lack of jobs, rising inflation and stagnant wages, as major concerns.

Addressing a press conference at the party office after releasing a report, 'Real State of the Economy 2025' by his party colleague Rajeev Gowda, former FM P Chidambaram said that economic growth could fall up to 2%. "The economy is in a slowdown... That cannot be denied at all. However much the government may try to do, the economy is in a slowdown and it may fall up to 2% of the previous year's growth."

He said: "There are no jobs. Youth unemployment is close to 40%. There are no jobs despite the PM handing out letters to people from time to time. That is just filling of vacant posts and does not involve creation of new jobs. Inflation is raging with food, education and healthcare inflation in double digits."


Alleging the government was not doing anything to address the "huge inequality" and "the growing gap" between the rich and the poor, he said while the top 20-30% of the population may be better off, the bottom half "is living on ₹100-150 a day".