Congress Accuses Centre of ‘Statistical Gymnastics’ over GDP Growth Figures
Congress said the figures mask weak growth and rising prices, while the government defended a revised base year and methodology.
- On Tuesday, the Congress party questioned the Narendra Modi government's reported 7.8% GDP growth for the first quarter of 2026-27, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge dismissing the Prime Minister's celebration of the figures.
- Prime Minister's Economic Adviser Sanjeev Sanyal defended the government's methodology in an interview Tuesday, amid Opposition allegations that the data manipulation masked the true economic picture.
- Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg told India Today he harbors doubt about the 7.8% figure, noting that drastic base-year revisions produced a 10.3% growth rate under current prices.
- Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government of employing "statistical gymnastics" to mask "India's bleak economic reality," citing runaway Wholesale Price Index inflation of over 9%.
- While the Prime Minister celebrates growth, Kharge claimed ordinary citizens face "unprecedented unemployment, unbearable price rise and unbridled inequality," with the promise of creating 2 crore jobs annually remaining unfulfilled.
15 Articles
15 Articles
GDP Data Triggers Political War Over Growth Story
India's 7.8% GDP growth has set off a fierce political battle, with the government hailing the numbers and economists rejecting claims of lower growth estimates. The Congress questioned the data with a social media jibe, while the BJP hit back, accusing the opposition of spreading pessimism and dismissing the economic recovery narrative.
After former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and some economists raised questions on the calculation process of the data, the ministry clarified that there has been no alteration or mechanical increase in the growth rate figures.
Revisions reflect data uprade: Govt defends new GDP estimates, says revisions reflect data upgrades, not higher growth by design
New Delhi: The statistics ministry on Wednesday, September 2, defended the methodology behind its newly released economic growth estimates, saying revisions to last year’s GDP and the divergence between different price measures reflect updated data and estimation techniques rather than an attempt to artificially boost headline growth. The clarification came two days after the government … Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology…
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