Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a strong rebuttal to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, accusing him of lacking awareness about India’s economic progress and the government’s flagship Make in India initiative.
Responding to Gandhi’s recent criticism of the country’s manufacturing performance, Fadnavis said the Congress leader was uninformed and should “do some homework” before questioning the government’s achievements.
“Rahul Gandhi does not know what Make in India is. He does not know what is manufactured in our country. He may not even know that during their [Congress-led UPA] government, India was the 11th largest economy. PM Modi has made India the 4th largest economy in just 10 years, and in the next two years, we’ll become the 3rd largest. Rahul Gandhi should do some homework,” said Fadnavis.
The remarks followed a post by Rahul Gandhi on X (formerly Twitter), where he questioned the efficacy of Make in India, stating that manufacturing was at record lows and that India had become overly dependent on Chinese imports. He shared anecdotes of unemployed youth and accused the Modi government of prioritising slogans over solutions.
“’Make in India’ promised a factory boom. So why is manufacturing at record lows, youth unemployment at record highs, and why have imports from China more than doubled?” Gandhi wrote, alleging that since 2014, the manufacturing sector’s share in the economy had dropped to 14%.
Gandhi also took aim at the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, claiming that it was being “quietly rolled back,” and called for systemic reforms that would empower Indian producers.
“With no new ideas, Modi ji has surrendered. Even the much-hyped PLI scheme is now being quietly rolled back. India needs a fundamental shift – one that empowers lakhs of producers through honest reforms and financial support,” he said, warning that India risks becoming merely a marketplace for foreign goods if it does not build domestic capabilities.
He further criticised the current economic model as one that benefits only a few billionaires, leaving farmers, labourers, and the middle class behind.
As political tensions rise over economic policy, the back-and-forth between Rahul Gandhi and BJP leaders underscores the battle lines ahead of major parliamentary debates on employment, manufacturing, and economic equity.
