GDP growth cannot conceal falling rupee and unemployment, Shiv Sena (UBT) says

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Wednesday criticised the Modi government for celebrating India’s economic growth figures while allegedly overlooking unemployment, inflation and financial distress among ordinary citizens.

In an editorial published in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena (UBT) questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s celebratory social media post following the reported 7.8 per cent quarterly growth in gross domestic product. It described the government’s response as “grandstanding” disconnected from conditions on the ground.

“If the nation is reaching unprecedented heights of progress, the fundamental question remains why must 85 crore citizens depend on free food grains just to survive?” the editorial asked.

The party argued that GDP figures held limited meaning for people struggling with rising living costs and inadequate employment opportunities. It cited more than 7,000 farmer suicides in a year as evidence of continuing distress in the agricultural sector.

The editorial also pointed to financial pressures within the Maharashtra administration, claiming that unpaid government dues to contractors had exceeded Rs 90,000 crore and that 17 contractors had died by suicide after facing financial ruin.

It further questioned why an alleged unspent balance of Rs 10,000 crore in the PM CARES Fund was not being used to support financially vulnerable citizens.

Turning to household expenses, the Sena (UBT) said a series of price increases that took effect on 1 September had added to the pressure on families ahead of the festive season.

According to the editorial, milk prices in Mumbai rose by Rs 9-10 a litre, jaggery became 25 per cent more expensive and onions crossed Rs 50 a kilogram. It also cited increases in CNG and domestic piped natural gas prices, with the latter rising by Re 1 per unit.

The party maintained that higher petrol, diesel and CNG prices were pushing up autorickshaw and taxi fares. It added that inflation in milk and sugar had raised the price of a basic “cutting tea” to Rs 13, directly affecting daily-wage earners and other low-income consumers.

The editorial also expressed concern over the rural economy, noting that agricultural growth had slowed from 4.4 per cent to 3.6 per cent. It claimed that a month-long break in monsoon rainfall had created uncertainty over the kharif cropping season and threatened rural livelihoods.

The Sena (UBT) said a weakening rupee and rising unemployment exposed deeper vulnerabilities in the economy, arguing that headline GDP growth offered little comfort to people confronting higher everyday expenses.

It concluded that economic statistics could not obscure the burden of inflation and instability faced by millions of households even as the fortunes of leading industrialists continued to rise.

With IANS inputs