Rahul Gandhi takes a dig at Modi, asks ‘howdy economy doing’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by asking him "howdy economy doin'", in a tongue in cheek reference to the upcoming 'Howdy Modi' event in the US where Modi will address the Indian American community.

"'Howdy' economy doin’, Mr Modi?' Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

"Ain’t too good it seems," he added, in an informal American style English.

‘Howdy’ is an informal American expression for ‘how do you do’ or ‘how are you doing’.

He also cited a media report claiming that shares worth USD 4.5 billion have been sold by international investors.

The Indian economy has been in the doldrums, exhibiting slackened growth across sectors for the fifth consecutive quarter. The economy is said to be in recession if the GDP shows slow or negative growth for several consecutive quarters.

The Indian economy is facing a severe slowdown with stagnant growth and rising unemployment. According to economists and experts, the slowdown is not cyclic (which is said to be a normal occurring) but "structural".

The opposition as well as several experts have blamed the Narendra Modi government's flawed policies, especially steps like demonetisation of 2016 and a hurried implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the slowdown which many people are calling "unprecedented".

The much publicised “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” event is scheduled to be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas in the United States on September 22 where Modi will address thousands of Indian Americans.

The event is being organised by Texas India Forum (TIF), a representative body of Indian-American organisations in Texas and other parts of the US.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the government over the state of the economy, saying the confidence of investors is "shaken" but the Modi dispensation is refusing to acknowledge the truth.

"By showing glitter, saying 5 trillion, 5 trillion, everyday or by doing media's headline management, economy cannot be improved. Investors do not come by sponsoring events abroad," Priyanka said in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Modi's upcoming diaspora event in Houston.

The confidence of investors is "shaken" and the foundation of economic investment has "cracked", she said in a tweet in Hindi with the hashtag 'BJP bad for business'.

"But the BJP government is refusing to acknowledge this truth. This slowdown is a speed breaker in the direction of becoming an economic superpower. Without improving this situation, all other razzmatazz is useless," Priyanka said in another tweet.