Kharge terms Modi's GDP video 'PR exercise'; Congress flags inflation, unemployment
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has criticized the Modi government's celebration of 7.8% GDP growth, labeling it a PR exercise. He argued that the growth figures ignore the struggles of ordinary citizens regarding unemployment, inflation, and economic inequality.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing political debate in India regarding the disconnect between macroeconomic indicators and the lived economic reality of the common citizen.
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”.
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