Priyanka Gandhi Attacks Sitharaman, Says ‘FM Must Get Over Politicking About Economy’

Priyanka’s attack came after Sitharaman, when asked by reporters as to whether there was any slowdown in the economy, said the government was responding to it sectorally, based on their requirement.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (PTI)

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday slammed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not acknowledging the economic slowdown being faced by the country. She said that Sitharamn needs to get “politicking” about the state of our economy and “come clean” with the people of India. “Does the government accept that there is a slowdown or not? The FM needs to get over politicking about the state of our economy and come clean with the people of India. How do they plan to resolve the massive problem they have created if they aren’t even ready to acknowledge it?” she tweeted. Priyanka’s attack came after Sitharaman, when asked by reporters as to whether there was any slowdown in the economy, said the government was responding to it sectorally, based on their requirement. "Every sector of the Indian economy, when it approaches us, we hear them out for solutions that they want and we respond to it," Sitharaman said. India's economic growth on Friday slumped for the fifth straight quarter to an over six-year low of 5 per cent in the three months ended June as consumer demand and private investment slowed amid deteriorating global environment. Having lost the tag of the world's fastest-growing economy earlier this year, India's GDP growth was behind China's 6.2 per cent in April-June, its weakest pace in at least 27 years. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India, Asia's third-largest economy, slumped by larger than expected 5 per cent in April-June, the slowest pace since January-March 2013. The growth stood at 5.8 per cent in January-March of 2019 and 8 per cent of April-June 2018, according to official data released on Friday.