Union Min Hardeep Singh Puri slams Cong and Mallikarjun Kharge for 'lies, fabricated figures and fake data'
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri criticized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over unemployment figures, accusing the Congress of presenting false data and misleading the public.
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FollowNew Delhi: Union Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched a scathing attack on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and his party on Saturday, posting a series of messages on X. He accused the Congress and its leaders of peddling lies and fabricated figures.
Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the Congress party's classic 'shoot and scoot' social media strategy, based on lies, fabricated figures, and fake data, is back in action. He added that even their most senior leaders don't bother to check facts before making misleading public statements.
Increase in employment opportunities in India
The minister said that employment opportunities in India have increased significantly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From 2016-17 to 2022-23, employment has grown by about 36 percent, with 170 million people finding work. The minister wrote, "Let me also remind them that India's economic trajectory demonstrates sustained job creation across key sectors. We are on our way to becoming the world’s 3rd largest economy very soon from the 11th spot their famed economists and policies left us in 2014".
He stated that during this period, India's GDP grew at an average rate of over 6.5%. "According to PLFS, youth (age 15-29 years) unemployment rate has declined from 17.8% in 2017-18 to 10% in 2022-23. EPFO has reached 131.5 lakh in 2024 while Gig Economy workforce is expected to grow to 2.35 crore by 2029-30," he added.
Mallikarjun Kharge receiving 'fake data'
The minister said that Kharge is unaware that the worker population ratio increased by about 26% between 2017-2023. In his post, he wrote, "While Mr Kharge sees ‘stampedes’, he seems unaware that the Worker Population Ratio has increased by almost 26% between 2017-2023. He is clearly looking at all the wrong places & getting fake data, or maybe is just too preoccupied with trying to hold his imploding party together and buys whatever lies his advisors sell to him; or he is just too fixated with the ‘unemployment’ of his party’s travelling Shehzada".
"Kharge should stop spreading false rumors about inflation
Hardeep Singh Puri said that Kharge should stop spreading false rumors about inflation. He said that India's inflation rate was 1.4 percent lower than the global average in 2023.
"He will be disappointed to know that India’s inflation rate was 1.4 percentage points below the global average in 2023. Core services inflation is at a 9 year low in FY24. RBI expects 4.5% headline inflation in FY25 & 4.1% in FY26. While Congress regimes of the yore used ‘Garibi Hatao’ as a hollow slogan, Modi Govt is providing free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries for five years starting January 1, 2024 at a cost of ₹11.8 lakh crore under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Congress continues to spew lies on GST on essential food items. They pretend to not know that specified goods like pulses, rice, flour, etc., when sold in loose form are fully exempt from GST & only attract a concessional GST of just 5% when in packaged & labelled form", he wrote in one of his posts on X.
Rs 10 lakh crore bad loans recovered in 10 years
Hardeep Singh Puri, in another post on X, said that loans worth Rs 36.5 lakh crore to big industrialists were waived off by the UPA governments from 2005 to 2013 while over Rs 10 lakh crore bad loans have been recovered in 10 years under PM Modi.
"Mr Kharge’s party is so obsessed with ‘Khana-Kamana’ that it facilitated during its rule through a slew of scams that it is not able to look beyond. It suffers from selective amnesia. Forgets that the original sin of the Nirav Modi episode happened in 2011 under its watch. During UPA regime, Adani group was granted loans of ₹72,000 crore. Under UPA regime, Ambani group received loans worth ₹1,13,000 crore. Despite non-payment of loans worth ₹1,457 crore in 2012, Vijay Mallya's group was given further loans of ₹1,500 crore. Loans worth ₹36.5 lakh crore to big industrialists were waived off by the UPA governments from 2005 to 2013. The rate of bad debts grew by 132% in 2012-13 over 2005-06. Driven by the motto of ‘Na Khaunga Na Khaane Dunga’ it is Modi Govt which began recovering people’s money, ₹13,109 crore has been received out of ₹22,500 crore from the sale of assets belonging to fugitive economic offenders Mallya, Modi, & Choksi. Modi govt under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji turned the banking sector around - over ₹10 lakh crore bad loans have been recovered in 10 years. Something that Congress & UPA did not do because it was never their intention", he posted on X.
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