While India’s GDP plummeted to an over six-year-low of 4.5 percent in the July-September quarter, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday, 2 December, said in the Lok Sabha that it should not be taken seriously. He added that the concept of GDP was “introduced only in 1934” and “it will be irrelevant in the future,” reported ANI.
“The concept of GDP was introduced only in 1934. Elevating GDP to the level of scriptures such as The Bible, Ramayana or Mahabharata does not make it the truth. It will be irrelevant in the future.”Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP
Participating in the discussion on the Taxation Law Amendment Bill and a statutory resolution disapproving the ordinance on the same legislation, Dubey said, “Today's new theory gauges whether there is sustainable economic welfare for the common person. Sustainable development and happiness are more important than GDP figures.”
Before Dubey, Adhir Ranjan Chowdury, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, attacked the government over the falling GDP numbers, PTI reported.
The country's GDP for the month of July-September stood at 4.5 percent, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO) data.
The previous low was recorded at 4.3 percent in the January-March period of 2012-13. GDP growth was registered at 7 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19.
The sharpest fall in growth came in the manufacturing sector which recorded a negative growth of 0.1 percent against 6.9 percent growth in the same quarter previous fiscal year.
‘God Save India’s Economy’
Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Randeep Surjewala both took a dig at Dubey for his comments.
“Falling GDP and sinking economy, but the Chief Minister, ministers and leaders of the BJP government are presenting new samples! God save us from such “novice economists of 'New India'! Hey Ram!” Randeep Surjewala tweeted, tagging reports about Dubey's remarks and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s reported comment that GDP fell as prices are going down.
‘No GDP = No Economic Crisis’
Meanwhile, the Twitterati slammed Dubey’s bizarre statement on the GDP.
A twitter user asked the BJP MP to “take a bullock cart back to Ranchi as there was no railway there before 1908 and no airport before 2013.”
Another twitter user took a dig at government suppressing “embarrassing data” and said it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the GDP numbers are junked altogether as well.
(With inputs from ANI & PTI.)
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