Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appears to have confused the Indian economy with that of Pakistan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Friday, as it took a swipe at the Lok Sabha MP over his remarks that the country's economy is "dead".
In a post on X, BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said the Indian economy is "alive & kicking" and asked the Congress MP to assess the country's financial situation before making such remarks.
"Rahul Gandhi says 'India is a dead economy'. Rahul Gandhi seems to be confusing Indian economy with Pakistan's! Economy is "Alive & Kicking", Rahul Gandhi's logic is 'Dead': India: > 4ᵗʰ Largest Economy > 2ⁿᵈ Largest Mobile Phone Manufacturer >3ʳᵈ Largest Automobile Manufacturer >4ᵗʰ Strongest Stock Market. Pehle Tolo, Phir Bolo," he said.
Rahul Gandhi says “India is a dead economy”
— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) August 1, 2025
Rahul Gandhi seems to be confusing Indian economy with Pakistan's !
Economy is “Alive & Kicking”, Rahul Gandhi's logic is “Dead”:
India:
> 4ᵗʰ Largest Economy
> 2ⁿᵈ Largest Mobile Phone Manufacturer
>3ʳᵈ Largest Automobile…
It is not for the first time that the BJP has attacked Mr Gandhi over Pakistan or accused him of promoting the neighbouring country's propaganda. Last month, the ruling party at the Centre accused him of peddling Pakistan's fake narrative with his charge that no country supported India in its action following the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Thursday, Mr Gandhi stoked controversy after he echoed US President Donald Trump's criticism of the Indian economy and said everyone, except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam, knows that the country's economy is "dead".
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP-led Centre has destroyed the country's economic, defence and foreign policies, and is "running the country to the ground".
"He (Mr Trump) is right, everybody knows this except the prime minister and the finance minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. It is a dead economy, are you people not aware of it," he told reporters.
His remarks came hours after the US President announced a 25% additional import duty plus penalty on goods imported from India. Subsequently, he hit out at India and Russia and said the two countries "can take their dead economies down together".
The BJP flayed the Congress leader for "echoing" Mr Trump's "dead economy" jibe at India, calling it a "shameful" insult to the aspirations, achievements, and well-being of the people of the country.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla said Mr Trump's statement was "completely wrong". "Our economic condition is not at all weak. If someone claims they can finish us economically, it's likely due to a misunderstanding. Trump is living in a delusion," he told news agency ANI.
Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya said the Congress leader hit a new low by echoing Mr Trump's "dead economy" jibe. "But let's be honest - the only thing truly 'dead' here is Rahul Gandhi's own political credibility and legacy. Even amidst global slowdown, India remains the world's fastest-growing major economy, with the IMF and World Bank revising growth projections upwards," he said, adding, "This is not a dead economy. This is a surging, resilient India."
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