Narendera Modi has limited knowledge of economics: Anand Sharma

NEW DELHI: Dismissing claims of Narendera Modi about the development of Gujarat as highly exaggerated, Congress leader Anand Sharma today said the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate has limited knowledge of economics and his numbers are amazing.

"He (Modi) believes in amazing numbers. I know that his knowledge of geography, history and economics is limited and I am amazed at his mathematics which claims that number 8 is bigger than 63," Commerce and Industry Minister Sharma told reporters here.

Modi claims that Gujarat has attracted maximum foreign direct investment in the country, he said.

"During 2000 and 2012, Maharashtra has attracted maximum FDI of USD 63 billion and Gujarat has received only USD 8 billion," Sharma said.

The Commerce Minister also said that Modi exaggerates about the success of Vibrant Gujarat Summits.

"When it comes to manufacturing sector, Gujarat is at No. 6 from the bottom and not from the top...Modi makes tall claims about the Summits," he added.

He said that going by Modi's claims, Vibrant Gujarat Summit's would have resulted FDI inflow of over USD 1 trillion, which is many times more than what the country has actually received.

Citing RBI data, he said that India has received only USD 303 billion FDI during 2000-2012.

"In the last four years, we have received USD 176 billion FDI," he said, adding that by the end of this fiscal the figure will further increase.

Modi, who is aspiring to be the prime minister of this country, should do his home work before making public pronouncements and not speak about the developmental programmes of the Congress, Sharma said.