PM Modi takes jooth ki goonj swipe at Rahul Gandhi as he praises India’s 7.8% GDP growth

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 1, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed India’s 7.8% GDP growth, saying the country had achieved the milestone despite global conflicts, economic uncertainties and what he described as an “echo of lies” and despair.

In a video message posted on Instagram from Kyrgyzstan, where he is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Modi congratulated the people of India for their “resolve and industrious spirit”.

“Heartiest congratulations to my fellow citizens. A growth rate of 7.8% — the nation is filled with joy. I congratulate the people of this country for their resolve and their industrious spirit; this reflects our collective strength,” he said.

Modi noted that India had recorded strong growth despite wars and conflicts across the world, disruptions to global supply chains and continued economic uncertainty since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The world is mired in conflict; news of war is coming from all directions, and the globe is beset by crises. Supply chains are severely disrupted. Since the Covid era of 2020, stability has been elusive everywhere. Yet, India continues to progress rapidly,” he said.

Taking an apparent swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign aimed at connecting with young people, Modi said, “Inside India, people drowned in the depths of despair are spreading jhooth ki goonj (echo of lies) all around. Despite all these things, cutting through all those obstacles, the country has achieved 7.8% growth.”

He called for sustaining the growth momentum and stressed the need to build an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India).

Modi also urged people to avoid unnecessary spending abroad, including foreign holidays, destination weddings and purchases of gold unless essential.

He said the government’s policies were sound and its intentions clear, which had helped India reach new levels of economic progress.

India’s economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 7.8% in the April-June quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, despite concerns over a potential economic slowdown triggered by the conflict in West Asia.

Although growth moderated from the 8.6% recorded in the previous quarter, the latest figures remained above expectations amid disruptions to energy markets caused by the conflict.