The Congress on November 20 said senior Union Ministers from poll-bound States like Rajasthan and Telangana shared “bogus and fake news” that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has crossed the four-trillion dollar mark only to generate euphoria and headline management.
“Between 2:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. yesterday, when the nation was glued to watching the cricket match, various drumbeaters of the Modi government, including senior Union Ministers from Rajasthan and Telangana, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, as well as the Prime Minister’s most favoured businessman, tweeted that yesterday itself India’s GDP had crossed the $4 trillion mark,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
“This was totally fake and bogus news meant to generate more euphoria and a pathetic attempt at both sycophancy and headline management,” he alleged.
An unverified screenshot from the live-tracking GDP feed for all countries, based on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) data, was shared by several BJP leaders including Union Ministers.
Though there has been no official comment from the Ministry of Finance or the government, sources claimed the news is incorrect as India’s GDP is yet to achieve the $4 trillion landmark. They pointed out that live tracking of the GDP figures of all countries is difficult since data from different sectors of the economy have a time lag.
