NDA govt fudging data: Digvijay

Hyderabad: Accusing the NDA government of fudging figures to project high GDP numbers, senior Congress Senior leader Digvijay Singh said the economic growth was not reflected on the ground. "Ever since the BJP government has come to power, they have been distorting figures like the Chinese," the AICC General Secretary told PTI.

• Says economic growth not reflected on ground
• Remarks that there is no demand for business whereas food inflation has surged

Asked for his views on the US State department's observation that India's high growth rates may be exaggerated, the two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said, "I totally agree. Even some Chinese Communist leaders have questioned the ‘over-estimation’ of their country's GDP growth.

They (NDA government) have changed the base year (for GDP growth calculation), they have changed the format. Even Chief Statistician Anant who prepares these figures has admitted that there were some sorts of gaps which had to be assumed and they might have been assumed on the higher side."

He claimed that the high GDP growth rate does not reflect the ground reality. "You talk to any businessman in this country today; they all feel that business is not picking up.

There is no money in the market," said Digvijay. Noting that the economy can grow only when there is demand he said that demand for gold, land, white goods, textiles and two-wheelers has not picked up while food inflation has gone up. "Dal is over Rs 150 a kilo...wheat prices have gone up. Sugar prices have gone up. Edible oil prices have gone up. So, where is the growth? I can't see growth," he said.