Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday accused Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly undermining India’s achievements and painting an unjustifiably bleak picture of the economy, asserting that no crisis was looming over the country.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Samavesha in Bengaluru to mark 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led government, Sitharaman said Gandhi had consistently predicted economic distress despite India maintaining its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
“Every time the Leader of Opposition speaks in the Lok Sabha, it is only to decry everything, undermine the achievements of the people of India, thinking that he is undermining Prime Minister Modi or the central government,” she said.
The finance minister was responding to recent remarks by Gandhi suggesting that India could face a major economic crisis in the coming weeks amid global uncertainties, including tensions in West Asia.
Rejecting the assessment, Sitharaman said there was no disaster awaiting the country and accused the Congress leader of repeatedly forecasting economic collapse that never materialised.
“According to him, everything is going to crumble in the next few weeks and a big disaster is awaiting the country. On the contrary, quarter after quarter, year after year, India is the fastest-growing economy,” she said.
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Sitharaman argued that India’s economic performance was not merely a government claim but was reflected in official GDP figures and recognised by international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
She also highlighted the government’s handling of external shocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, saying India had successfully navigated major disruptions while sustaining economic growth.
Referring to concerns over energy security, Sitharaman said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ensured uninterrupted fuel supplies despite instability in a region crucial to India’s oil imports.
“The government had to deal with practical challenges relating to fuel shipments from West Asia, but there was no disruption,” she said.
The minister’s remarks come amid a continuing war of words between the BJP and the Congress over the state of the economy. While the Opposition has questioned employment generation, inflation and income growth, the BJP has highlighted GDP expansion, infrastructure development and welfare measures as evidence of economic resilience.
Sitharaman said criticism of the government should not come at the cost of diminishing the achievements of the Indian people, reiterating that India’s economic fundamentals remained strong despite global headwinds.
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