The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 1 September hailed India's GDP growth of 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter and launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, demanding a public apology for what it called 'irresponsible and false' characterisations of the Indian economy.

Key Developments

Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, senior party leader and Member of Parliament Ravi Shankar Prasad said India's economic performance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remained robust despite significant global headwinds, including geopolitical tensions stemming from the prolonged conflict in West Asia.

Prasad placed India's growth in international context: 'In January-February, when the Gulf crisis broke out, there were oil issues, supply chain disruptions, and widespread global uncertainty. Despite all these challenges, India's economy grew by 7.8 per cent. Other economies like Canada recorded a growth of 1.5 per cent, Germany one per cent, UK 2.1 per cent, etc, in the same time period,' he said.

BJP's Attack on Rahul Gandhi

Prasad directly targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his earlier remarks describing the Indian economy as a 'dead economy' and warning of an impending 'economic tsunami'. The BJP MP questioned whether Gandhi had 'taken the contract to compromise and weaken the morale of the people of India.'

In a pointed remark, Prasad said that while Indians do not take Gandhi's economic assessments seriously, one country does — Pakistan. 'They take all such comments from him and highlight them, saying, the LoP is speaking about the shabby state of the Indian economy,' Prasad said, adding, 'Do you have any shame?'

He further asked: 'In your hate for PM Modi and abusing the BJP and RSS, are you going to abuse the country as well?'

What the Government Said

Prasad asserted that the 7.8 per cent GDP growth figure was a direct reflection of the Modi government's capacity to convert challenges into opportunities. 'The BJP outrightly condemns the irresponsible, false, baseless, and mischievous contention of Rahul Gandhi that the Indian economy is a dead economy and a big economic tsunami is going to come,' he stated.

He demanded that Gandhi 'apologise for condemning India's economy based on falsehood and baseless allegations.'

Context and Background

The April-June quarter growth figure of 7.8 per cent places India among the fastest-growing major economies globally during the period. This comes amid a broader BJP narrative ahead of upcoming state elections, framing economic management as a key differentiator between the ruling party and the opposition. Notably, Gandhi's 'dead economy' remarks have been a recurring point of contention, with the BJP repeatedly citing macroeconomic data to counter them.

With the political temperature rising over economic messaging, the exchange signals that GDP data is set to remain a central battleground between the two parties in the months ahead.