Government challenges opposition over 2.6% GDP growth claim methodology

Lanka Dinakar has challenged Opposition parties to disclose their full methodology behind claims that India's GDP growth stands at 2.6%, dismissing the figure as a statistically flawed attempt to distort the government's official 7.8% growth rate.

The chairman of the 20 Points Programme (Viksit Bharat: Swarna Andhra Pradesh) accused Congress leaders, Left sympathisers and critics of the Narendra Modi government of creating "confusion among the public" by mixing incompatible data series. He termed the practice "political propaganda" designed to mislead citizens.

Critique of Opposition methodology

Dinakar said the lower growth figure is derived by combining figures from the old 2011, 12 GDP series with those from the new 2022, 23 series, a method he described as scientifically invalid. "Taking the 2025-26 figures from the 2011-12 series and the 2026-27 figures from the 2022-23 series, and presenting the difference between them as actual GDP growth, is not scientifically valid," he said.

He emphasised that GDP growth must be calculated using a single base year, consistent methodology and comparable prices.

Defence of new base year

The selection of 2022, 23 as the new base year was not a political decision but followed the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics, Dinakar said. The committee examined multiple factors including GST implementation, the COVID-19 impact and the exceptional post-pandemic recovery before treating 2022, 23 as a relatively normal year, he noted.

Dinakar pointed to substantial economic transformation between 2011, 12 and 2026, citing progress in manufacturing, the digital economy, e-commerce, financial services, infrastructure, technology and business formalisation.

Challenge to critics

While acknowledging Congress's democratic right to criticise Centre policies, Dinakar said "changing statistical standards to suit political opposition is not acceptable". He challenged Congress and Left parties to place their complete data, methodology, evidence and calculations before the public if they stand by the 2.6% growth claim.

Source: The Hindu