Congress accuses Centre of ‘statistical gymnastics’ over GDP growth figures

The Congress on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) questioned the Narendra Modi government’s celebration of 7.8% GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026-27, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge dismissing the Prime Minister’s video on the issue as a “PR exercise”. In a separate post on X, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh took a dig at the government, saying that while the Make in India initiative had achieved little, its “Fake in India” scheme continued unabated.

Mr. Kharge said the Prime Minister may have the “luxury” of celebrating the growth figures, but ordinary citizens continue to grapple with what he described as the three “U”s — “unprecedented unemployment, unbearable price rise and unbridled inequality”.

“Lights. Camera and INACTION. This is the story of Modi ji’s PR when it comes to the economy,” Mr. Kharge said in a post on X, responding to a video posted by Mr. Modi hailing the 7.8% GDP growth in the April-June quarter.

The Congress president alleged that unemployment and rising prices had placed an increasing burden on households. He claimed that the promise of creating 2 crore jobs annually had remained unfulfilled and pointed to unemployment among young people as well as the rising cost of essential commodities and fuel.

Mr. Kharge also accused the government of presiding over growing inequality and alleged that its economic policies had facilitated a transfer of wealth from poorer sections to the rich. He criticised what he termed “rampant crony capitalism”, alleging that corporate loan write-offs had benefited large businesses.

‘Statistical gymnastics’

Mr. Ramesh questioned the methodology behind the latest GDP figures, describing them as “statistical gymnastics” that, he alleged, concealed the underlying weakness of the economy.

“The gap between nominal and real GDP is supposed to represent inflation. According to the government, the difference is just 2.3%. But this quarter has seen runaway Wholesale Price Index inflation of over 9%. This is an obvious discrepancy,” he said.

Mr. Ramesh alleged that the discrepancy had arisen because the government had changed the methodology for calculating GDP twice this year, including moving away from the Wholesale Price Index for the latest estimates.

“If the Modi government gave us honest numbers, the real growth number would be much lower,” he said, adding that “Make in India has achieved very little but the Modi government’s signature ‘Fake in India’ scheme continues unabated.”

In a separate post, Mr. Ramesh accused the government of subjecting people to a “high-voltage shock” of rising prices while attempting to mask the situation through “statistical jugglery”.

Inflation ‘shock’

He said inflation was no longer confined to kitchen staples and had begun affecting the cost of building homes and purchasing electrical and electronic goods. Citing a media report, he said the prices of copper and aluminium had risen sharply, substantially increasing the cost of wiring houses.

Solar panels, fans, false ceilings and household appliances had also become more expensive, he said, adding that the poor and the middle class were facing rising costs across several aspects of everyday life.

“Inflation is giving a shock to the public’s pocket from all directions, yet the arrogant Modi government remains intent on masking this reality and misleading the people through statistical jugglery,” Mr. Ramesh said.

In a video message, the Prime Minister had said the growth figure had punctured the narrative of pessimism surrounding the Indian economy and asserted that the government’s policies and intentions were clear. He called for maintaining the growth momentum while strengthening self-reliance and promoting Swadeshi.