Congress attempts to corner Centre over state of economy

Chidambaram said the UPA had delivered a 7.5 per cent economic growth on an average during its tenure.

The Congress party on Monday lashed out at the BJP-led Centre over the state of Indian economy and said the union government was trying to project a rosy picture by 'hiding behind numbers'.

"The state of Indian economy is not something about which we can be happy," former finance minister P Chidambaram said at a press briefing in the national capital.

Chidambaram, who was also accompanied by former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, said that the UPA had delivered a 7.5 per cent economic growth on an average during its tenure.

"Every government must be optimistic, but optimism must stem from a realistic assessment of the situation...Yet if the government presents tomorrow a rosy picture of the economy, people of India are entitled to question that," ANI quoted Chidambaram.

The former finance minister said that the Congress has come up with a report that truthfully assesses the state of India's economy. He said there was no growth under the present regime in terms of jobs and capital investment.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier on Monday alleged that Manmohan helped liquor baron Vijay Mallya get huge loans to bail out Kingfisher Airlines. The saffron party also dragged Chidambaram into the issue, hinting that he was aware of favours being extended to Mallya.

OneIndia News