New Delhi. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday criticized opposition parties and former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg for his remarks on 7.8 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. Goyal said critics do not even know how to compare apples with apples. They are trying to mislead the people of the country.
Goyal told reporters on the sidelines of an event here that amid the ongoing global turmoil, India is like an ‘oasis in the desert’, which has been growing at the fastest pace among the major economies of the country and the world. “Whatever the naysayers may say, but 7.8 per cent growth is the reality,” he said.
The Union Commerce Minister said that when I see some opposition leaders on television,… include any former Finance Secretary or former Reserve Bank Governor, both of whom could not complete their tenure in India or the government for valid reasons.
”He said that when you try to break people’s morale by distorting the truth, you are betraying the public.
Goyal said that this unprecedented record growth of 7.8 percent is the strength of 140 crore Indians, their hard work, their joint efforts, due to which today India has become a reliable partner of the world.
Goyal said, “We politicians, ministers and MPs do not prepare these figures. When you (pointing towards opposition leaders) come out with such a negative thinking, in a way you are belittling yourself.
It is noteworthy that under the revised GDP series, the country’s economic growth rate in the first quarter (April-June) of the current financial year 2026-27 has been 7.8 percent on a real basis.