Congress blames Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley for economy's downturn

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 05-Jan-2018

The Congress on Friday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "arrogance" and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's "failure" for the economy's downturn as the GDP growth was estimated to be 6.5 per cent during 2017-18.The party also said the double whammy of the "Modi-made disaster of demonetisation" and the implementation of a "flawed" GST was squarely responsible for the economy's downturn."An arrogant Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a failed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hell bent upon ignoring economic wisdom have dealt a catastrophic blow to India's growth story as proved by the latest GDP estimates slumping from 7.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a statement.

"No matter how many manufactured international reports the Modi government may flaunt, the stark truth is that investment has stagnated, job creation is abysmal, exports are in dire straits, stalled projects are burgeoning, inflation remains unchecked and rural distress is at an all-time high."Hype, hyperbole and headline management cannot be a substitute to the grim reality on the ground," he added.Surjewala said: "From 7.9 per cent GDP growth in 2015-16 to an estimated GDP growth of 6.5 per cent for 2017-18 is an undeniable reality and result of the experimental disasters unleashed by the Modi government on India's economy."As the government completes four years of its term, the people are seeing through the long distance between rhetoric and reality, he added.