Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday strongly criticised Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for what it described as an attempt to undermine India’s manufacturing achievements during a visit to Germany.
Rahul Gandhi, currently in Munich, toured a major automobile manufacturing facility and shared a video on social media in which he suggested that manufacturing in India is weakening. In the video, he is heard saying that manufacturing forms the foundation of strong economies and claiming that India needs to produce more, build stronger manufacturing ecosystems and create quality jobs at scale.
Reacting sharply, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said Gandhi’s remarks, made from foreign soil, unfairly portrayed India’s industrial progress in a negative light. Patra accused the Congress leader of repeatedly using overseas platforms to criticise the country and its institutions, adding that such statements harm India’s image globally.
Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, dismissed Gandhi’s comments as misleading and contrary to available data. He said claims of a declining manufacturing sector amounted to “fake news” and argued that India’s manufacturing performance over the past decade tells a very different story.
Citing official figures, Bhandari said electronics production has surged by more than 495 per cent over the last 11 years, rising from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014–15 to Rs 11.3 lakh crore in 2024–25. Electronics exports, he added, have grown even faster, jumping by around 760 per cent during the same period.
He also pointed to significant expansion in the automobile sector, noting that vehicle production has risen from about 2 million units in the early 1990s to nearly 28 million units in 2024, reflecting long-term growth momentum. According to him, India now aims to produce 50 million vehicles annually by 2030 and 200 million by 2047, with the goal of becoming one of the world’s top two automobile manufacturing hubs.
Bhandari asserted that India’s shift from import dependence to export-led manufacturing growth is backed by data and on-ground outcomes, not rhetoric. While opposition leaders may question the narrative, he said, the country’s factories, exports and employment figures reflect an economy that is steadily strengthening under the current government.