Rahul Gandhi in Germany Claimed Manufacturing in India “Declining,” BJP Calls it “Fake News”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ruffled feathers with the BJP on Wednesday claiming that manufacturing in India was “declining” in the Narendra Modi regime, quickly drawing retort from the ruling party calling his claim a “fake news.”
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha arrived in Germany on Wednesday and took a guided tour of the BMW site in Munich. He was also seen taking a tour of the showroom, trying his hand at the luxury cars there and interacting with people who had come to visit the BMW World. “Good to see that the Indian flag is flying here,” Gandhi said as he mentioned being excited to see that they have a 450 CC bike.
He said the highlight of the BMW tour was seeing TVS 450cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with BMW. “Had the chance to experience BMW’s world in Munich, Germany with a guided tour of BMW Welt and the BMW Plant – an incredible look at world-class manufacturing up close,” Mr Gandhi said in an Instagram post.
After his visit to the BMW production plant, Mr Gandhi posted a video on social media in which he is heard criticising the status of manufacturing in India. “Manufacturing is the backbone of strong economies. Sadly, in India, manufacturing is declining. For us to accelerate growth, we need to produce more — build meaningful manufacturing ecosystems, and create high-quality jobs at scale,” he is heard saying in the video on Instagram.
It ruffled the feathers of the BJP, which had been anticipating criticism from him during the tour. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called Mr Gandhi’s claim of decline in manufacturing a “fake news.”
Gandhi is visiting Germany at the invitation of the Progressive Alliance, a key group of 117 progressive parties from across the world. During his visit, Gandhi will engage with the Indian diaspora as well as meet German government ministers. He received a warm welcome by the IOC (Indian Overseas Congress) upon arrival at Berlin Airport during his 5-day visit to Germany where he is scheduled to attend a major IOC event happening on Wednesday and will meet IOC leaders across Europe.
The event is being held to strengthen Congress’s global outreach and activities. The IOC states that Rahul Gandhi is there to address the Indian Diaspora and connect with various presidents of the party in Europe. They will be having discussions on NRI issues and how they can spread the party’s ideology further.
The 5-day visit was announced during the Winter Session of Parliament, prompting widespread criticism from BJP leaders. They allege that his frequent trips call his dedication to the Indian Congress into question. Gandhi, though, praised Indian engineering, saying. “A highlight was seeing TVS’s 450cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with BMW. Proud moment to see Indian engineering on display.”
In his post, Mr Gandhi claimed 495 per cent growth in total electronics manufacturing in the last 10 years, and a 760 per cent growth in exports.
Indigenous production of automobiles, he said, has gone up 14 times since 1991. “Automobile Manufacturing (1991 vs 2024): Vehicle production 1991: 2 million units 2024: 28 million units +1,300 per cent increase (14x growth),” the X post added.
“What India is targeting next? 50 million vehicles by 2030, 200 million vehicles by 2047, and the Top-2 auto manufacturers globally. From import dependence to export dominance –this is manufacturing-led growth backed by data, not slogans. Rahul Gandhi may deny reality, but factories, exports, and numbers don’t lie. Under PM Modi, India’s growth story is real — and accelerating,” the BJP leader wrote.
Gandhi’s comments about India during his foreign tours have regularly generated a huge political storm at home. During his visit to Cambridge in 2023, while sharing his experiences of Bharat Jodo Yatra, he had said democracy in India was under attack. “I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy — Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around — all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy,” he had said.
The year before in Cambridge, he had spoken of Prime Minister Narendra Modi “creating a vision of India that is not inclusive of all parts of the country’s population, which is unfair and goes against the idea of India.”
