Recent comments by US President Donald Trump on the Indian economy and statements by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi supporting him have sparked a political controversy.
The ruling BJP said Rahul Gandhi’s statement was damaging to the country’s reputation. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said Rahul had “insulted the sweat and hard work of 140 crore Indians.” He referred to India’s high growth rate, citing IMF and World Bank data.
Significantly, there was no unanimity on this issue even within the Congress. Senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Rajiv Shukla refuted Trump’s statement. Many allies of the India Alliance also disagreed with Rahul’s view.
The numbers confirm the strength of the Indian economy. India is currently the world’s fourth largest economy, up from 11th during Manmohan Singh’s tenure. According to the IMF, India is projected to grow at 6.4% in 2025 and 2026, much faster than the US (1.9%) and Japan (0.7%).
India is the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer, third largest automobile manufacturer and fourth strongest stock market. India is the world leader in greenfield FDI projects and has the third largest startup ecosystem with 121 unicorns.
GST collection in July 2025 was Rs 1.96 lakh crore, which is 7.5% more than last year. This figure also gives evidence of economic strength.
In conclusion, economic indicators clearly show that India remains a “bright spot” in the global economy and the claims made by Trump and Rahul Gandhi do not match reality.