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Union Minister Piyush Goyal hit out at Opposition leaders and economists questioning India’s 7.8% GDP growth, saying “truth cannot be hidden”.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal addresses criticism of India’s 7.8% GDP growth and hits out at economists questioning the latest economic data. (IMAGE: PTI FILE)
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Wednesday took on “jobless people” posing as “economists harming the country” after critics questioned India’s record GDP growth in the latest quarter.
“A few jobless people call themselves economists and appear on TV channels to harm the country. Do not fall for this,” Goyal told news agencies in New Delhi.
“Truth cannot be hidden… Ministers do not manufacture this data… When you have such a negative mindset, in a way, you are diminishing yourself. When you attempt to demotivate people by distorting the truth, you betray the people. Record growth of 7.8% is something that no other country has been able to replicate,” he said, accusing Opposition leaders of wanting “to see India as ‘a dead economy’”.
The “dead economy” term, originally used by US President Donald Trump when India and the US were holding talks on tariffs as Washington went on a tariff blitz, was used by Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s handling of the Indian economy.
After India posted 7.8% real GDP growth in the April-June quarter of FY 2026-27, beating the 7% growth estimate of the Reserve Bank of India, the government has stepped up its defence of the economic numbers. The latest figures were released under India’s revised GDP series and marked a stronger-than-expected start to the new fiscal year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the numbers, calling the 7.8% growth in the first quarter a “herculean feat”. In a post on X, Modi said the performance reflected the collective strength of Indians despite oil price shocks, supply-chain disruptions and global uncertainties. “Doomsayers were doomed and India bloomed…yet again!” he said.
Goyal’s remarks come after former finance secretary Subhash Garg went to a broadcaster and claimed that GDP growth would have been about 2.6% in current prices if last year’s GDP had not been revised down from roughly Rs 86 lakh crore to Rs 80 lakh crore.
Without naming Garg, Goyal further added: “The naysayers can say what they want, but 7.8% growth is a reality. When I see on television some of the Opposition leaders, even possibly you can throw in along with them a former finance secretary or a former Reserve Bank governor, both of whom could not complete their time in India or in the government and for the right reasons.
“They don’t even know how to compare apples with apples. They are trying to misguide the people of India, comparing a growth rate at an old series with a new series, where the base year itself has changed,” Goyal told reporters.
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a chief sub editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has …Read More
September 02, 2026, 8:53 PM IST
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