Piyush Goyal attacked Oppn., former finance minister, over Q1 GDP growth remarks

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. | Photo credit: Reuters

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) slammed opposition parties and former finance minister Subhash Garg for his remarks about 7.8% GDP growth, saying he did not know how to ‘compare apples to apples’ and was trying to mislead the Indian people.

According to the revised GDP series, India’s economy grew by 7.8% in real terms in the first quarter of fiscal 2026-27.

Mr. Goyal said that in this global world of turmoil, India is an oasis in the desert and the country continues to be the fastest growing among the major economies of the world.

“The naysayers can say what they want, but 7.8 per cent growth is the reality. When I see some opposition leaders on TV, you can even throw in a former finance minister or a former Reserve Bank governor, both of whom could not finish their time in India or in government for the right reasons.”

“They don’t even know how to compare apples to apples. They are trying to confuse the people of India by comparing the growth rate of the old series with the new series where the base year itself has changed,” Goyal told reporters here.

He added that critics were trying to find flaws in the growth figures by asking: “Okay, there’s 7.8% growth, but where are the jobs?” He said the demand for workers is strong, especially in the textile sector, referring to the requirement of industries in Tiruppur for more workers. “Send me 100,000 people in Tiruppur, we will occupy and give them jobs,” he said.

He said the naysayers somehow can’t digest that they themselves are “the only people out of work”.

“And the only possible job left is to get to the TV panel and try to invent or manufacture an argument,” he added.

Mr Garg said GDP growth would have been about 2.6 per cent at current prices if last year’s GDP had not been revised down from about ₹86 crore to ₹80 crore.

He also said that the truth cannot be hidden and the system that records what happens every month and every quarter has been in place for years. “We politicians, ministers and MPs do not produce this data. When you (referring to opposition leaders) come with such a negative mindset, you are lowering yourself in a way,” Goyal said.

Published – 02 Sep 2026 21:41 IST