‘Few Jobless People Call Themselves Economists’: Piyush Goyal Jibes at Oppn, Critics over ‘Wrong GDP’ Remark
The commerce minister said critics were comparing different GDP series and said the ministry’s figures were not manufactured or deliberately revised.
- On Wednesday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal defended India's 7.8% GDP growth for the April-June 2026 quarter, accusing Opposition leaders and former officials of misguiding the public by comparing figures from different GDP series.
- The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the 7.8% growth data on Monday, surpassing the Reserve Bank of India's 7% forecast; Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the figure as a "herculean feat."
- Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan questioned the data, with Rajan asking, "Are these growth numbers real?" and Garg claiming growth would have been only 2.6 per cent without the base-year revision.
- Calling critics "jobless," Goyal dismissed their employment concerns while the Ministry issued a six-point rebuttal clarifying that the old 2011-12 base-year series cannot be compared with the new 2022-23 series.
- Opposition leader Ramesh described the figures as a "GDP, Greatly Distorted Picture, of the economy," while Goyal emphasized India's 7.8% growth is unprecedented, crediting 140 crore people and positioning the nation as a global trusted partner.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Opposition leaders are jobless, says Goyal on Indias 7.8% GDP growth figure critics - The Tribune
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday criticised Opposition leaders and former officials who questioned India's 7.8 per cent GDP growth figure for the April–June 2026 quarter, calling them 'the only jobless people left' and accusing them of comparing an old data series with a new one.
Piyush Goyal Defends 7.8% GDP Growth, Slams ‘Jobless’ Critics
India's 7.8% GDP growth estimate for the April-June quarter has moved from an economic data release to a political and statistical flashpoint, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal strongly defending the number and the government rejecting claims that the headline figure was inflated by revisions to last year's base.Goyal said the growth figure reflected the effort of Indians and accused critics of u
BJP Vs Congress: ‘Not comparing apples with apples?’ Piyush Goyal hits back at Congress criticism of GDP numbers
India's economy grew at a faster-than-expected rate showing resilience against concerns of an economic downturn over the US-Iran War, the latest numbers show.
Jobless economists: Piyush Goyal hits out at critics questioning India's 7.8% growth
Piyush Goyal has defended India's 7.8% first-quarter growth figure and attacked critics questioning the data. The dispute has sharpened scrutiny of the revised GDP series, deflators and sector-wise measurement changes.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
