New Delhi: Taking a dig at the BJP, Congress spokesperson Prof Gourav Vallabh pointed out that the BJP-ruled Haryana tops in unemployment whereas Chhattisgarh is numero uno in providing employment. “BJP-ruled Haryana has been topping the list in unemployment over the past three years. In comparison, Congress ruled Chhattisgarh is number one providing in employment,” the Congress spokesperson claimed.
The Congress claim came a day after global rating agency Moody's slashed its projections, saying that Indian GDP will grow by 7.7 per cent in 2022 and would further dip to 5.2 per cent in 2023. In May, the same agency had projected that the Indian economy would grow by 8.3 per cent in 2022. The global agency had cited rising interest rates, uneven monsoon and slowing growth worldwide as reasons why economic momentum in India would dampen sequentially. The Moody’s report came on a day the Centre cited 13.5 per cent GDP growth data between April and June this year to claim that its policies were showing positive results.
However, Congress has been slamming the Centre over poor economic management for years. The grand old party has been protesting against spiralling prices of essentials and the high unemployment rate for some years. It will take out a massive rally in Delhi on September 4 where former party chief Rahul Gandhi is expected to attack the Centre’s economic policies.
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Various state units of the grand old party have been holding local protests over the issues of inflation and unemployment in a build-up to the national rally. Workers from across the country will reach Delhi on September 4 in a show of strength over an issue that the Congress assume will help it align with public concern and give it an opportunity to slam the ruling BJP.
Prof Vallabh, an economist, questioned the government’s claims of over 13.5 per cent GDP growth in the April-June period this year saying the Centre was making a wrong comparison. “They are comparing GDP data with 2020 figures when the Indian economy had contracted as it was hit by the Covid pandemic. This had pushed the base year data very low. Any growth over low base year data would present a rosy picture. The latest data should be compared with data of pre-Covid years,” he said.
“When we compare the latest data with data of pre-Covid years, it shows that the Indian economy grew merely by one per cent per year over the past three years. This is poor performance. We don’t deserve a government like this,” he said. According to Vallabh, the people today are reeling under a sliding economy, sliding rupee, price rise, high unemployment and farm crisis, but the government it seems was unaware of all this.
“The PM and the FM seem to be ignoring the problem. That is the reason we are holding a 'Mehngai Per Halla Bol' rally, he said. The Congress leader charged that the government was busy resetting opposition governments instead of resetting the economy, which had witnessed low growth in the manufacturing and construction sectors, which generate jobs in bulk.
