‘GDP figures have rewritten Opposition’s script’: Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary took a swipe at the Opposition on Tuesday, saying that India’s real GDP growth of 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter has “rewritten their script”.

In a video message posted on ‘X’, Chaudhary said: “Opposition leaders set out every morning to mourn the state of India’s economy from every platform, but the GDP figures have completely rewritten their entire script.”

“Under the successful leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and the oversight of the Honorable Finance Minister Ji (Nirmala Sitharaman), the country’s GDP has grown by 7.8 percent in the first quarter,” he noted.

Referring to an earlier remark of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said: “Those who called India a ‘dead economy’ must be very upset right now because they apparently have problems with the country’s growth as their politics thrive on disappointment while Modiji’s government works for development.”

Claiming that the Opposition “might be annoyed with the statistics” of India’s growth, Chaudhary asserted that the people are happy with its pace of economic growth.

“Despite the noises made by the Opposition, India’s GDP scoreboard is reflecting the story of its continuous growth, under the leadership of PM Modi,” he added.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi also took a veiled swipe at the Opposition, saying India’s latest gross domestic product (GDP) growth figures have exposed the ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ (echo of lies) being spread by those he described as people “immersed in the depth of despair”.

Earlier, PM Modi shared a reel on Instagram with the caption, “7.8 per cent growth. Strong numbers. Even stronger confidence”.

In his message, the Prime Minister congratulated the people of the country, saying the growth rate reflected their determination and hard work.

“Many congratulations to the countrymen. 7.8 per cent growth. The country is filled with joy. But I congratulate the countrymen for their willpower, for their hard work; it is a reflection of collective strength. The world is engulfed in war; news of war is coming from all around. Surrounded by global crises, supply chains are completely disturbed. From the Covid period in 2020 until now, nowhere is stability visible. Despite that, India is progressing at a fast pace,” he said.

“On the other hand, inside India too, people immersed in the depth of despair, ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’, are engaged in spreading despair all around. Crossing all these things, piercing through all those matters, the country has achieved 7.8 per cent growth. We have to maintain this speed; we also have to grow,” the Prime Minister added.

–IANS

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