Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s agreement with US President Donald Trump’s recent remark branding the Indian economy as “dead” has drawn sharp criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT), a key ally of the Congress in Maharashtra and part of the broader INDIA bloc.
The friction surfaced when Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi publicly rebuked Gandhi’s statement, terming such characterizations as either “arrogant or ignorant.”
Her response, seen as a rare direct rebuttal within the Opposition alliance, underscores emerging tensions, particularly between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maharashtra-based Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
"Such a 'dead economy' declaration is possible only out of arrogance or ignorance," Chaturvedi tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), dissociating her party from the remark by Gandhi.
While the Congress leader has been vocal about his concerns over unemployment and economic stagnation, his endorsement of Trump’s scathing remarks has surprised and unsettled some of his allies. “He is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. I’m glad that President Trump has stated a fact,” Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament, referring to Trump’s post on Truth Social.
Trump's incendiary words were: "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can go down their dead economies together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India; their tariffs are too high, amongst the highest in the world." Trump also ruled out trade with Russia, adding that the US has minimal economic activity with either country and should keep doing so.
Chaturvedi responded to Gandhi’s backing of the US leader, calling it a “Trump’ed up” statement — a play on words implying exaggeration or fabrication — and urged a more balanced and data-driven discourse on India’s economic standing.
"There's sufficient legitimate information out there that we know the Indian economy is one of the top five in the world and continues to be one of the fastest-growing. That doesn't mean we disregard current issues such as unemployment, inequality, and inflation, but those do not characterize a 'dead' economy," she insisted.
Political observers aver the incident unmasks deeper fissures in the INDIA bloc, particularly amid escalating tensions in Maharashtra due to changing dynamics between the Thackeray brothers and shifting political approaches before elections.
Even as the Congress goes on to portray Rahul Gandhi as the fulcrum of its opposition to the BJP, dissonance among allies such as Shiv Sena (UBT) can complicate the Opposition narrative, particularly when public disapproval is directed at concerns as emotional as national economic performance.
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