BJP Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi Over 'Dead Economy' Remark as GDP Hits 7.8%
· India · Indian Express, India Today
Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a BJP press conference, demanding an apology for calling the Indian economy "dead" and warning of an imminent "economic tsunami." Prasad pointed to GDP growth of 7.8% year-on-year in the April-June quarter as proof of the economy's resilience despite West Asia conflict headwinds and high energy prices. He compared India's figure with Canada at 1.5%, Germany at 1%, the UK at 2.1%, Malaysia at 6%, South Korea at 3.7% and the US around 2%, saying India had outperformed major economies under PM Modi's leadership. Prasad accused Gandhi of relying on "cheat-speak" and questioned whether he had "taken a contract to compromise and weaken the morale of the people of India." He framed India's trajectory as moving from a UPA-era "Fragile Five" economy to becoming a major world economy.
Why it matters
The BJP is using the 7.8% GDP print to blunt Congress's economic narrative ahead of political battles, while Prasad's comparison with slower-growing Western economies positions India as a relative winner from global turbulence.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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