Asheville, Sep 1 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has hit out at Rahul Gandhi for describing India as a “dead economy”, saying the Congress leader was undermining the work of Indian citizens at a time when the country had recorded 7.8 per cent growth.
In an exclusive interview with IANS on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting here, FM Sitharaman expressed disappointment over the way the opposition projected the country despite consistently strong economic figures.
“With these kinds of growth numbers consistently, it is such an odd thing that the Leader of Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi, constantly refers to the Indian economy as a dead economy,” she said.
“It just shows poorly as to how he undermines the hard work of the Indian citizens,” the Finance Minister said.
FM Sitharaman said questioning the government was a legitimate and necessary responsibility of the opposition in a democracy. But she argued that criticism of the government should not disregard the contribution of citizens to the country’s economic performance.
“It is one thing for an opposition party to constantly question the party in power, and that is only right. In democracy, you need a strong opposition party which speaks,” she said.
“But with this kind of growth numbers consistently, it is such an odd thing” for Gandhi to call the Indian economy dead, she added.
The Finance Minister said no political party had the right to insult people whose efforts were driving economic growth.
“So I would appeal to the opposition party to take cognisance of the hard work of our citizens and not speak disparagingly about them,” she said.
Asked whether Gandhi’s remarks reflected a lack of economic understanding or political hostility towards the government, FM Sitharaman pointed to the presence of economists within Congress.
“I thought there are quite a few economists within the Congress party who form an economic advisory group,” she said.
“I am sure they can’t be denying the facts, but for political purposes, if you want to talk ill of the Indian economy at a time when people are really doing well, there can be performance which can be improved in some other areas,” she said.
“But that doesn’t undermine the overall good story, which is today revealed in the numbers. Every quarter after quarter, we are coming up with good numbers,” she added.
“To deny that fact and to speak the opposite of it — it can’t go on for too long,” FM Sitharaman said.
The Finance Minister said she was “extremely pleased” with the latest growth figures because they reflected the work of Indian citizens amid persistent external challenges.
India’s economy was estimated to have grown by 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year. Manufacturing grew by 9.2 per cent, while the financial and professional services sector expanded by 12.1 per cent, FM Sitharaman said. Foreign exchange reserves stood at about $700 billion.
“These are not ordinary numbers,” she said. “It is entirely because of the way in which people have risen to meet their personal aspirations as much as moving India towards the Viksit Bharat 2047.”
FM Sitharaman said the first-quarter performance would strengthen growth during the financial year and expressed confidence that similar numbers could be sustained in the coming quarters.
She also credited reforms undertaken by the Modi government and cooperation from state governments. More than 1,000 laws had been removed and about 40,000 regulations simplified, while the government continued to engage with industry, businesses and trade, she said.
The Finance Minister is in Asheville for the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting. She is also holding bilateral discussions with participating countries and meetings with international investors during her visit to Canada and the United States.
–IANS
lkj/dpb