A political slugfest erupted on Tuesday after India’s GDP (gross domestic product) grew at 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter, a development that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a "herculean feat".
Growth during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year was lower than the 8.6 per cent recorded in the previous quarter. However, it was higher than expected after the war in West Asia broke out and disrupted global energy markets.
Political row over India’s GDP growth: Who said what
PM Modi
The GDP figures drew mixed responses online, with government officials and BJP leaders heaping praise and the Opposition dismissing the numbers as “distorted”.
Deep Dive
What were the factors contributing to India's 7.8% GDP growth in Q1 2026?
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How did PM Modi link GDP growth to swadeshi and self-reliance?
In a video message posted on Instagram on Tuesday, PM Modi said continued focus on Swadeshi and self-reliance would help the country’s youth see a developed India by the 100th year of Independence.
He urged people to avoid foreign holidays, overseas weddings and buying gold unless necessary.
Taking a jab at his critics, Modi said some people in India, “drowned in an atmosphere of despair”, were spreading “lies” across the country.
{{/usCountry}}Taking a jab at his critics, Modi said some people in India, “drowned in an atmosphere of despair”, were spreading “lies” across the country.
{{/usCountry}}“India is progressing rapidly. On the other hand, within India too, people drowned in an atmosphere of despair are engaged in spreading ‘jhooth ki goonj’ all around. Overcoming all these things, breaking through all those challenges, the country has achieved 7.8% growth. We have to maintain this pace,” he said.
The reference to “jhooth ki goonj” appeared to be a veiled attack on leader of opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign, which seeks to engage with students on issues such as paper leaks, unemployment and the education system.
Pawan Khera
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera questioned whether the reported economic growth was creating jobs and opportunities for young people.
"If India has truly "bloomed," why do rampant unemployment, leaked exam papers, and a crumbling education system define the ground reality?" he questioned on X.
"GDP measures national output - not jobs, not wages, not opportunity. If it measured any of those, the future of India's youth would not look so bleak," he said.
He said, "For India's youth, the question remains the same as ever: Where are the jobs?"
Jairam Ramesh
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the prime minister of "premature celebration", claiming a weak consumer confidence, decline in household savings and debt levels that have reached a "record high".
"The quarterly GDP numbers, such as they are reported, present a GDP - Greatly Distorted Picture - of the economy.
"They do not convey the decidedly depressed private investment sentiment in the economy - both domestic and foreign," he wrote in a post on X.
Nirmala Sitharaman
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the NDA government’s reforms, along with its management of the economy, were producing results.
"The credit for this strong performance goes to the people of India and their hard work. Reforms undertaken by the NDA Government, together with an agile management of the economy, are bearing results," she wrote in a post on X.
Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut targeted the government over unemployment and the rupee’s decline against the US dollar.
During a press conference, he said, “We need to look at what kind of glasses PM Modi is wearing. Through what lens does Modi see things? If GDP has grown, then why is inflation rising? Why is the rupee falling? Why is unemployment increasing? Why do 85 crore people have to survive on 10 kilograms of free ration? That question should also be answered, shouldn’t it?”
He added, “GDP has grown, but we should be able to see what exactly has grown, shouldn’t we? People don’t have jobs, employment, clothes, and homes.”
Supriya Shrinate
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate questioned the government over job creation and what she described as a “sluggishness in agriculture”.
“Once the base year was shifted to 2022-23, GDP number was bound to be higher. But the sluggishness in agriculture, manufacturing, mining are a concern. Why is private sector not investing? No jobs. Rupee relentlessly falling. FIIs selling out. High debt,” she wrote on X.
Sam Pitroda
Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda challenged the nature of the economic growth and said development should benefit people more equally.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Pitroda said, "The rupee today is almost close to 100, and that is one indicator to me. Secondly, what kind of growth is that? Is that growth for very few or growth for people of India? Is it equitable? Does it percolate down, or have we created a few more billionaires? To me, this is very fundamental."
"If the wealth of the few has gone up substantially because of an increase in GDP, let's go ask the average person. What has happened to your life? He would say, look, petrol is expensive, gas is expensive, food is expensive, rent is expensive, and I can't live. Is that the kind of growth we want?" he said.
With inputs from agencies