New Delhi: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a pot shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ongoing economic slowdown in the country, while referring to his upcoming 'Howdy Modi' even in the United States. Gandhi took to micro-blogging site Twitter and asked PM Modi about how the economic situation is doing. "Howdy economy doin', Mr Modi? Ain’t too good it seems," he tweeted. PM Modi is scheduled to visit the US and address a crowd of over 50,000 Indian-Americans from across the US  for the September 22 mega "Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures" event to be held at the sprawling NRG Stadium in Houston.

Rahul Gandhi's jibe at the prime minister comes at a time when country is reeling under a severe economic crisis and several business sector including automobile, real estate and others have witnessed a massive slump in sales. Congress has been criticising PM Modi-led Central government over the slowdown in the economy and said that it is happening because of the poor economic policies made by Modi government.

Not just Rahul Gandhi, but Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, earlier in the day, hit out at PM Modi's diaspora outreach event 'Howdy, Modi!' in Houston, Texas on Sunday, saying that the ongoing slowdown was a speed breaker in his government's claims of working towards making India a $5 trillion economy.

Creating a media blitz by repeating $5 trillion everyday and managing headlines will not trigger economic reforms. Sponsored events in foreign countries do not bring investors. Investors have lost faith. Economic investment has lost ground," tweeted Priyanka without taking the name of the 'Howdy Modi!' event.

The BJP government is not accepting the truth. This economic slowdown is a speed breaker in the path of becoming an economic superpower. Without corrective measures, all the show-off is worthless," she wrote in another tweet.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal too questioned the logic of organising publicity extravaganzas outside the country. "If 'Howdy Modi!' is being held out of India, then it should take place here as well. Modi should have an event like 'Howdy Modi!' in the rural areas of the country and the people will tell him what they are facing."

On the other hand, PM Modi had sought suggestions from Indian citizens for his Howdy Modi! event speech. Even the White House has confirmed President Donald Trump's attendance at the September 22 'Howdy Modi' event organised by the Indian diaspora in Houston, adding that his participation would be "a great opportunity to emphasize strong ties" between the two nations.

PM Modi on Monday said that President Trump's attending the event highlights the strength of the ties between the two countries and was a recognition of the contribution of the Indian diaspora.  "The special gesture of President @realDonaldTrump to join us in Houston highlights the strength of the relationship and recognition of the contribution of the Indian community to American society and economy," PM Modi tweeted.

The organizers have put together a 90-minute cultural extravaganza - "Woven: The Indian-American Story". The programme will celebrate the contributions of Indian-Americans to the cultural, intellectual and social landscape of the US. It will feature 400 artistes and community members from Texas and across the US.