"Be Proud": Citing Musk, Kiren Rijiju Schools Rahul Gandhi On India Economy

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju cited Tesla CEO Elon Musk's remark – on the health of the Indian economy – to counter Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the economic policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

"I normally do not react to statements which are not made by Indians. I'm quoting Elon Musk only to sensitise Rahul Gandhi… while criticising the government is a democratic right, do not disparage India. Never belittle India's achievement," he said on X.

On Sunday Musk shared a list that said China and India combined are expected to account for 43.6 per cent of global GDP in 2026. The US was a distant third with a 9.9 per cent projection.

The list cited data from the International Monetary Fund and also said the Asia-Pacific region is expected to contribute over 50 per cent to the global economy by the end of this year.

"The balance of power is changing…" Musk wrote as he shared the data.

I normally do not react to statements which are not made by Indians. I'm quoting @elonmusk only to sensitise Rahul Gandhi ji that, while criticizing the govt is a democratic right, do not disparage India & never belittle India's achievement. Be a proud Indian. #ViksitBharat pic.twitter.com/b19NPMrkNY

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 1, 2026

The comment – by the world's richest person, who has been keeping track of India's trajectory closely and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice – was seen as hinting at a growing consensus among policymakers about the global economy making a dynamic shift to Asia.

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India is seen as a country at the head of that queue.

In fact, in January 2026, the IMF raised its forecast for India's economic growth in FY26 by 0.7 percentage points to 7.3 per cent and Julie Kozack, head of the financial body's Communications Department, called the country "a key growth engine for the world".

Rijiju's call-out followed comments by Rahul Gandhi after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the 2026 union budget Sunday morning. He criticised the budget for not addressing urgent issues like unemployment, farmers' distress, and falling household savings.

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"A budget that refuses course correction (and is) blind to India's real crises," he said in comments that also recalled his echoing US President Donald Trump's "India is a dead economy" remark.

In an equally scathing response, the Finance Minister hit back, "With due respects, I don't know what course correction he is referring to. (The) economy and its fundamentals are strong".