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. He called for maintaining the growth momentum while strengthening self-reliance and promoting Swadeshi .
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”. In a video message, the Prime Minister had said the growth figure had punctured the narrative of pessimism surrounding the Indian economy and asserted that the government’s policies and intentions were clear.
“The gap between nominal and real GDP is supposed to represent inflation. The difference is just 2.3%, according to the government. But this quarter has seen runaway Wholesale Price Index inflation of over 9%.
This is an obvious discrepancy,” he said. “If the Modi government gave us honest numbers, the real growth number would be much lower,” he said, adding that “Make in India has achieved very little but the Modi government’s signature ‘Fake in India’ scheme continues unabated. “Inflation is giving a shock to the public’s pocket from all directions, yet the arrogant Modi government remains intent on masking this reality and misleading the people through statistical jugglery,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“Lights. Camera and INACTION. This is the story of Modi ji’s PR when it comes to the economy,” Mr. The Congress president alleged that unemployment and rising prices had placed an increasing burden on households.
Modi hailing the 7.8% GDP growth in the April-June quarter. He claimed that the promise of creating 2 crore jobs annually had remained unfulfilled and pointed to unemployment among young people as well as the rising cost of essential commodities and fuel.
Kharge said in a post on X, responding to a video posted by Mr.
