Girija Vyas raises questions over GDP figures

Attacking the Modi government as it completed two years in office today, Congress leader Girija Vyas questioned the GDP figures for the last two financial years and claimed the official numbers given by the ruling dispensation raised "broad skepticism".

Referring to the country's growth figure, the Congress leader said, "Officially it grew at 7.3 percent in 2014-15 and 7.5 percent in 2015-16. But, there is broad skepticism about this data. Many experts believe the actual rate is around 5.5 percent." She told reporters that the Modi government at the Centre has done an "excellent job on the sloganeering and shouting front" but "nothing" on the ground.

"This government has done an excellent job in sloganeering and shouting from rooftops about renaming schemes, rechristening Congress-UPA's success stories, such as Aadhaar and DBT (direct benefit transfer) for LPG consumers among others, and making hollow claims," she said.

Referring to the BJP's promise of bringing back blackmoney from abroad within 100 days of coming to power, she asked, "Have you received Rs 15 lakh in your bank account yet?" "The pre-poll promise of Modi to bring back the blackmoney from foreign soil was perhaps one of his biggest 'jumlas'," Vyas said.

"Estimated by the BJP at approximately Rs 80 lakh crore, Modi promised the electorate to recover this money while Rajnath Singh promised to do this within 100 days of assuming power. But the ground reality speaks a different story," she said.

Asked about demand of some Congress leaders for carrying out "surgery" after party's poor show in elections in four states and Union Territory of Puducherry, Vyas said she is "not aware" of any such demand.

"I have not heard so," she said.

The former Union minister said BJP in its 2014 General elections manifesto had promised two crore jobs every year.

"By simple calculation, it would have provided four crore jobs by May 2016. However, out of those four crore new jobs, the Modi government has managed to add only 1.55 lakh in 2015," she claimed.