Congress cites former finance minister’s analysis, questions 7.8% GDP growth

Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh. File | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Congress on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) stepped up its attack on the Union government over the latest GDP data, citing former finance minister Subhash Chandra Garg’s reported remarks that the government was using statistical revisions to present an inflated picture of economic growth.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh shared a video clip of Mr. Garg, who said revisions to the previous year’s GDP had affected the comparison with the current year’s figures.

According to Mr Garg, without the revision, growth in current prices in the April-June quarter would have been around 2.6%, instead of the higher figure expected.

Mr Ramesh said the government’s claims of strong economic growth, fueled by what he described as statistical “juggling”, were at odds with conditions on the ground.

“Former finance minister Subhash Garg has now burst the bubble on this claim. His assessment is that real GDP growth is around 2.6%, not 7.8%,” Mr Ramesh said in a post on X, adding: “The Modi government needs to understand: PR can polish the GDP picture, but not the economy itself.”

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The Congress leader said the government needs to recognize the true state of the economy and implement reforms to create employment, boost small and medium enterprises and private investment, increase demand and income, reduce inequality and ensure fair competition instead of promoting “crony capitalists”.

Mr. Ramesh said it was significant that questions about GDP were raised by a former finance minister who served in the Modi government. “It is clear that there are serious questions about the GDP itself, for which Mr. Modi is asking citizens to burst crackers and celebrate Diwali,” he said.

Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said Mr Garg’s assessment seemed closer to the “lived reality” of ordinary Indians, marked by rising prices, weakening purchasing power, shrinking disposable income and savings, stagnant job opportunities and rising household debt.

“These claims cannot be simply dismissed. They come from someone who served as the Finance and Economic Affairs Minister of the Government of India from 2017 to 2019,” Mr Khera said, demanding an explanation for the revision of the previous year’s GDP figures.

The Congress launched a sustained attack on the government as official data showed the economy grew by 7.8% in the April-June quarter of 2026-27. On Tuesday, the party described the figures as the product of “statistical gymnastics”, with Mr Ramesh claiming the figures presented a “very distorted picture” of the economy and did not reflect depressed private investment sentiment and stagnant consumer confidence.

Published – 02 Sep 2026 13:56 IST