Congress asks Centre why Indian growth story being pushed back

The Congress has said the latest GDP numbers for the first quarter of this financial year showing actual growth rate at 3% means the Modi government, due to its “inept handling of the economy”, is pushing back the Indian growth story.

The opposition party asked, given the current state of the economy, by when will the government attain the promise of making India a $5 trillion economy and whether it would now be forced to go back on many promises including the ones to double the farmers’ income and provide pucca houses to needy urbans dwellers by 2022.

The GDP numbers actually mean India’s economic growth has been at 3% for three years, Congress spokesman Gourav Vallabh said on Friday.


“These are highly worrying numbers, with prospects not looking very bright due to inaction by the Modi government. Even SBI has a downward growth forecast for FY23 from 7.5% to 6.8%. Many global banks and rating agencies have projected a similar trend… It is evident now that the BJP government due to its inept handling of the economy, no focus and cluelessness, is pushing the Indian growth story back,” he said at the party’s official briefing.

Despite the obvious need for a reset of the economy, Vallabh said, the finance minister “didn’t blink an eye” on these worrying data points. “One does not need a ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to know what the state of the economy is. The rupee has fallen to Rs 79.70 against the US dollar and the unemployment rate in August 2022, as per CMIE, rose to 8.28%, the highest in the last one year,” said Vallabh. “Yet, the government’s efforts are only directed towards the reset of opposition governments instead of chalking out a roadmap for the reset of the economy.”