00:01India's economy has opened the new financial year on a high, with GDP growth beating expectations and clocking 7.8
00:09% in the April-June quarter.
00:11But this is more than just an economic number.
00:14For the Narendra Modi government, it is proof of resilience, momentum and the strength of the Indian economy.
00:21Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called it a Herculean task and a Herculean feat and has even hit out at
00:29the Jhut Ki Gunj Brigade,
00:31accusing them of spreading misinformation about the economy.
00:35For the opposition, the growth numbers raise bigger questions about jobs, incomes and what it means for ordinary Indians.
00:43It has called it the greatly distorted picture.
00:47India's latest GDP number has quickly become a political flashpoint,
00:52with the government celebrating a strong economic run and the opposition questioning whether that growth is reaching every Indian.
01:00Before I bring in the guests to discuss these numbers, nearsayers and the narratives, here's a report.
01:21India's economy has delivered a stronger than expected performance.
01:26GDP grew 7.8% in April-June quarter, giving the 2026 and 27 financial year a strong opening.
01:41The number is significantly above the RBI's 7% forecast and keeps India ahead of several major G20 economies.
01:49And this was not growth riding on a single engine.
01:55Manufacturing expanded at 9.2%, services surged at 10%,
02:00while investment, measured through gross fixed capital formation, jumped 11.9%.
02:07The numbers point to broad-based momentum, even as the global economy navigates uncertainty.
02:13The chief economic advisor called it continued resilience.
02:16What we are witnessing is continued resilience in the Indian growth performance.
02:22I think that's the key message here.
02:24The quarterly real GDP numbers in general, after a slight lull towards the latter part of 24-25,
02:33has picked up quite well and has weathered global uncertainties rather well.
02:38And Prime Minister Modi wasted no time in putting a political stamp on the numbers,
02:42calling 7.8% growth a herculean feat.
02:56But the economic headline soon became a political flashpoint.
03:11Just months ago, Rahul Gandhi had warned of an economic tsunami.
03:39Now the BJP is using the 7.8% numbers to answer that warning,
03:44turning Rahul Gandhi's economic tsunami prediction into a political counter-attack.
03:51However, no matter how strong will it, you will have to vote.
03:53The blow of Sinai, the球 in the U.S.
03:54The Peace Unit, the Helped and Ali Institute so the rest of the球 and the Loser gods were
03:55being funded in public.
03:58The same thing that I get to see in Russia is in China,
04:07the bruk of the world where the people of the world are going to fall.
04:07The people of the world are falling to the border.
04:08The people of the country are falling to the border.
04:09The U.S.
04:32But the opposition is refusing to read the GDP numbers as a clean bill of economic health.
04:38Congress has called the figure a greatly distorted picture of the economy while putting the spotlight on unemployment and whether
04:46headline growth is translating into a better deal for ordinary Indians.
05:09So 7.8% is a headline grabbing number and a strong start to the new financial year.
05:15But the real test will be whether this growth translates into more jobs, stronger incomes and greater purchasing power for
05:24Indians.
05:25For now, the government has a number to celebrate and the opposition has a warning that the headline does not
05:31tell the whole story.
05:34Bureau Report, India Today.
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