"Excuses, rhetoric and rumours will not work", Priyanka Gandhi on Economy

New Delhi, Sep 05: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday lashed out at the Centre over reports of economic slowdown surfacing on a daily basis. She further dubbed the Modi government's silence on it as "very dangerous".

"Excuses and rhetoric" will not work, the Congress general secretary said on Twitter. The government has neither a solution nor the "strength" to assure people in the country, she said.

"Countdown: Everyday news of economic slowdown and everyday BJP government's silence. Both are very dangerous... excuses, rhetoric and rumours will not work," Priyanka Gandhi tweeted using the hashtag 'economy in crisis'.

The Modi government has come under severe criticism by the Opposition over the low growth rate. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement on Sunday saying the current slowdown is a result of the "man-made disasters" caused by the government.

The scathing attack by the former prime minister comes after the country reported a slow GDP growth rate of 5 per cent for the first quarter of this fiscal.

Sharp deceleration in manufacturing output and subdued farm sector activity pulled down India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to over six-year low of 5 per cent in the April-June quarter of 2019-20.

According to global broking firm Goldman Sachs, as of June 2019, the current slowdown has lasted for 18 months, making it is the longest since 2006.