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Mamata Banerjee’s ‘I differ…’ remark on India’s economic growth at Oxford sparks backlash, BJP says it's an ‘insult’
During a discussion at Oxford, Mamata Banerjee expressed disagreement with a prediction of India becoming the largest economy by 2060.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday hit out at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee after she reportedly "objected" to a forecast predicting that India would become the world’s largest economy by 2060.
In a video clip, Mamata Banerjee, who is currently in the United Kingdom, is purportedly heard saying she "disagrees" with the projection. Her remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the BJP back home.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted a video from the interaction in which Mamata Banerjee was seen engaged in a conversation on 'Social Development - Girl, Child and Women Empowerment in West Bengal' at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, during which she disagreed with the claim that India will become the world's first economy by 2060.
"India has already overtaken the UK; we are now the 6th largest economy, and India is the fifth largest economy. Soon, it will be the third largest economy in the world. By 2060, it is predicted that it will be the first economy in the world," the moderator of the discussion said, to which Mamata Banerjee said, “I will differ that.”
“There are so many things about which I should not speak here. Internal and external affair matters, I cannot disclose. I have some other opinion also. Because every country is facing challenge after COVID and also in the turmoil situation in the world. If an economic war-like situation is going on in the world, how do we expect that we will gain? Let us hope for the gain, we can only hope. It is our dream that our country should do best. But it depends," Mamata Banerjee is heard saying.
In his post, Amit Malviya alleged that the West Bengal chief minister has a problem with India's becoming the world's largest economy.
"West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has a problem with India becoming the world's largest economy... This is truly shameful. She is a disgrace to the constitutional office she holds. Who behaves like this on foreign soil?" Malviya posted on X.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala recalled Rahul Gandhi’s remarks “undermining India’s achievements on foreign soil" and said that the Opposition’s INDIA bloc “hates" the country’s accomplishments.
“It is unbelievable that a chief minister of an Indian state, on foreign soil, objects to India, becoming the largest economy in the world and expresses dissatisfaction about it. This is nothing but Bharat Badnami brigade that likes to undermine India’s achievements on foreign soil, just like Rahul Gandhi. INDI alliance hates Bharat’s achievements," Shehzad Poonawala posted on X.
Union minister and BJP Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar also slammed Mamata Banerjee for her remarks and said her “anti-India rhetoric" is an “insult" to the office she holds in the country.
“Mamata Banerjee is tarnishing India’s reputation on foreign soil. Her anti-India rhetoric is not only shameful for every Bengali and Indian but also an insult to the constitutional office she holds. It is evident that you have failed as a Chief Minister, but do you even hesitate to call yourself an Indian? Are you truly an Indian?" he posted on X.
