PR can polish picture of GDP, but not economy itself: Congress slams Modi government

The Congress on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) stepped up its attack on the Union government over the latest GDP figures, citing reported remarks by former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg to argue 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 that revisions to the previous year’s GDP had affected comparisons with the current year’s figures.

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

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

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The Congress leader said the government needed to acknowledge the actual state of the economy and undertake reforms to generate employment, strengthen MSMEs and private investment, raise demand and incomes, reduce inequality and ensure fair competition instead of promoting “crony capitalists”.

Mr. Ramesh said it was significant that questions were being raised over the GDP figures by a former Finance Secretary who had served in the Modi government. “It is clear that serious questions are being raised over the very GDP for which Mr. Modi is asking citizens to burst crackers and celebrate Diwali,” he said.

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

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

The Congress has mounted a sustained attack on the government since official data showed that 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 arguing that the numbers presented a “Greatly Distorted Picture” of the economy and failed to reflect depressed private investment sentiment and sluggish consumer confidence.