New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS): Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday launched a blistering attack at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for dishing out "delusional" opinions on the functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and claimed that senior leaders including him were making utterly "baseless and frivolous" charges.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge recently shared a long post and said that 'Modi Ki Guarantee' was "a cruel joke" on the 140 crore Indians.
The Union Minister, taking to X, shared a series of posts to deflate the 'misleading and misguided' claims of the Congress and also enumerated a list of achievements and milestones achieved in ten years of PM Modi-led government.
"Congress' classic shoot & scoot brand of social media policy based on lies, fabricated figures & fake data is back in action," he said.
Sharing data on India's soaring economic indicators, he said that employment has increased by nearly 36 per cent, adding around 170 million jobs between 2016-17 and 2022-23.
"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 pointed out and remarked that India's GDP was growing at a robust 6.5 per cent while the direct and indirect opportunities for youth are in plenty.
Highlighting the decline in unemployment rate to 3.2 per cent in 2022-23, he claimed: "According to PLFS, youth (age 15-29 years) unemployment rate has declined from 17.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 10 per cent 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."
"The combined market cap of 81 listed PSUs, including banks and insurance companies, has grown by 225 per cent in the last three years, on the back of higher govt capex and better capital management," he added.
Hardeep Puri also urged Mallikarjun Kharge to stop spreading 'canards' on prices of goods and commodities and informed that India's inflation rate was 1.4 percentage points below the global average in 2023.
"While Congress regimes of the yore used 'Garibi Hatao' as a hollow slogan, Modi government is providing free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries for five years starting January 1, 2024 at a cost of Rs 11.8 lakh crore under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)," he said in series of posts on X.
Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi and the party, he said that the former Congress president should stop looking at the family scion as a benchmark of unemployment and his own party's coffers as an indicator of declining savings of average Indians.
Further elaborating on India's soaring stature on the world stage, he said that today the world is looking at India with hope and confidence, for opinion and advice under the leadership of PM Modi and urged all to join the growth story.
"The Hunger Index which Mr Kharge seems to be treating as the last word is deeply flawed," he said.
He also taunted the Congress chief over a recent incident, where he was made to stand outside the room while the Gandhi family accompanied Priyanka Gandhi to the chamber during filing of nomination papers for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
"Mr Kharge who was last seen peeping into the room where the ruling trio sat in comfort must know that UPA was totally lax in controlling ambushes and intrusions across our borders," he mockingly said.