Junior Finance Minister Rebuts P Chidambaram Over Remarks On Economy

In a pointed rebuttal to P Chidambaram's remarks, Anurag Thakur said that consistent reforms and strong fundamentals have ensured India had a swift rebound from a contraction of 24.4 per cent in the 1st quarter of FY 2020-21 to a growth of 1.6 per cent in the 4th quarter of FY 2020-21.

Hitting out at former Finance Minister P Chidambaram for his criticism of the government's handling of economy, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday that the Congress leader had ignored hard data and "instead went ahead with whataboutery" and noted that Indian economy will rebound in the times ahead based on consistent reforms. In a pointed rebuttal to Mr Chidambaram's remarks at a media interaction yesterday, Mr Thakur said that consistent reforms and strong fundamentals have ensured India had a swift rebound from a contraction of 24.4 per cent in the 1st quarter of FY 2020-21 to a growth of 1.6 per cent in the 4th quarter of FY 2020-21. "Indian economy is resilient and will rebound in the times ahead based on consistent reforms that have ensured strong fundamentals through these difficult times. I am not surprised that the Former Finance Minister chose to ignore hard data and instead went ahead with 'whataboutery' - the Congress leadership has embodied this clueless approach over the years," he said. Referring to "gloomy forecast" portrayed by Mr Chidambaram, Mr Thakur said international agencies project India to grow by 12.5 per cent in FY 2021-22.