Union Parliamentary Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday (February 2) took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for criticising the Union Budget 2026. Citing a post by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on India’s economic growth, Rijiju urged Gandhi not to “disparage India” and also not to “belittle India’s achievement”.
“I normally do not react to statements which are not made by Indians. I’m quoting @elonmusk only to sensitise Rahul Gandhi ji that, while criticising the govt is a democratic right, do not disparage India & never belittle India’s achievement. Be a proud Indian. #ViksitBharat,” Rijiju said in an X post.
Notably, in the social media post, Musk reacted to a global statistics report which projected India as the second-largest contributor to the global gross domestic product (GDP) after China. Sharing the stats by @stats_feed, the Tesla CEO said, “The balance of power is changing.” Notably, as per the survey, India and China account for 43.6 per cent of the global growth. The United States’ contribution is just below 10 per cent.
The Union Minister’s remarks came after the Congress leader’s criticism of the Union Budget. Hours after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget, Gandhi, in a social media post, described the budget as being blind to India’s real crises, highlighting issues such as rising unemployment, falling manufacturing, capital outflows, declining household savings, farmers’ distress, and looming global shocks. He accused the government of refusing course correction and failing to address the urgent challenges facing the country.
Meanwhile, in another post, he called it a “band-aid for bullet wounds”.
Taking to X, Rahul stated, “A band-aid for bullet wounds! Amid global uncertainty, solving our economic crisis demanded a paradigm shift. But this government is bankrupt of ideas.”
Hitting out at the Congress MP, Sitharaman said that the budget focuses on small and medium enterprises, farmers, and people working in rural areas amid global uncertainty.
“Politically, you want to criticise, you’re welcome, please do it. But if you want to give me the facts on which you’re basing your argument, I’m willing to hear and willing to reply to that,” the Union Finance Minister said.
