New Delhi: The Congress has questioned the government’s celebration of 7.8 percent GDP growth, saying the figure did not reflect the economic pressures faced by ordinary Indians.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the methodology behind the GDP estimates, describing the latest figures as “simply statistical gymnastics”.
“By changing the methodology repeatedly, the Modi government is fixing GDP data while hiding India’s bleak economic reality,” Ramesh alleged.
Ramesh questioned the gap between nominal and real GDP, saying the government’s figures implied inflation of only 2.3 percent while wholesale price inflation had crossed 9 percent.
“The gap between nominal and real GDP is supposed to represent inflation; and according to the government, the difference is just 2.3 percent. But this quarter has seen runaway Wholesale Price Index (WPI) Inflation of >9 percent. This is an obvious discrepancy,” he said on X.
“This discrepancy has been manufactured by the Modi government,” Ramesh said
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the government could celebrate the growth figure, but ordinary Indians were facing what he called the “3 Us”—“Unprecedented unemployment, unbearable price rise & unbridled inequality”.
“You are saying that the country is celebrating GDP growth. You may have that luxury, but the Aam Aadmi does not!” Kharge said in a post on X.
Kharge said unemployment under the Modi government was at a “50-year-high”, with 40 percent of young graduates jobless and one in six Indians aged 15 to 29 unemployed in July 2026. “The promise of 2 crore jobs every year lies shattered,” he said on X
Kharge further slammed the government on the skyrocketing prices of everyday essential items. “Retail inflation at a 19-month-high. Sugar, onion, tomato, dal, cooking oil, rice, milk, every kitchen staple on fire. Petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG is becoming unaffordable.” he said on X.
Kharge also alleged that the BJP government favours the rich. “The top 1 percent owns 40 percent of India’s total wealth. The bottom 50 percent survives on a humiliating 15 percent.” he said.
“Your government has engineered the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in independent India’s history,” he added on X.
Kharge referred to the BJP government’s economic policy as “rampant crony capitalism”.
“Your government has written off over Rs 16 lakh crore of corporate loans since 2014,” he said, pointing to a recent case where creditors “recovered just Rs 6.5 crore against admitted claims of Rs 22,006 crore, giving a 99.97 percent haircut,” he said on X.
“The nation has seen that the Prime Minister of India is functioning as a personal travel agent for a crony friend!” he added.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Congress leader and economist Salman Soz questioned the government’s celebration of 7.8 percent GDP growth, saying the number does not reflect the pressures faced by households. “People do not eat GDP numbers. They experience their own lived reality,” Soz said.
Soz questioned the 2.3 percent inflation used to calculate real growth, saying retail inflation was around 3.9 percent and wholesale inflation close to 10 percent, with food inflation hitting households harder.
He said manufacturing remained below 13 percent of GDP despite the government’s 25 percent target, while India imported around $132 billion from China in FY26 and exported $19.5 billion, leaving roughly $112 billion in trade deficit.
Soz questioned ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, and also flagged the lack of an increase in strategic petroleum reserve capacity since 2018. He also flagged stagnant private investment despite the 2019 corporate tax cuts, weak FDI, rural wages and youth unemployment. “If companies aren’t investing, where will jobs come from?” he said.
He said unemployment among 15-29-year-olds was around 16 percent, while around 8 crore young people were neither studying nor working.
Soz questioned the credibility of the growth data, calling it a disservice to the country.
“While I never encountered serious concerns about Indian data during my time at the World Bank, Indian data no longer enjoys the same credibility, the PM is out of touch with the reality. The economy may be working for the top 5 percent, but not for the vast majority of Indians,” Soz said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)