'Jobless people': Piyush Goyal slams opposition, Subhash Garg's criticism of Q1 GDP growth

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday hit out at Opposition leaders and former officials questioning India's 7.8% GDP growth figure for the April-June 2026 quarter, accusing them of comparing an old data series with a new one and describing them as "the only jobless people left". Speaking at the annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) in Delhi, Goyal said, "I see on TV some of the Opposition leaders, even possibly a former finance secretary or a former RBI (Reserve Bank of India) governor, both of whom could not complete their tenure in India... They don't even know [that they should] compare apples with apples. They are trying to misguide the people of India, comparing growth rate [based on an] old series with a new series where the base year itself has changed."