Modi, Sitharaman have no idea what to do next on economy, tweets Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Jan 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the government over the state of the economy, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have no idea what to do next. The former Congress president's attack on the government comes just days ahead of the budget.

Finance Minister Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for the financial year 2020-21 on February 1.

"Modi and his dream team of economic advisors have literally turned the economy around. Earlier: GDP: 7.5%, Inflation: 3.5%. Now:GDP: 3.5, Inflation: 7.5%," Gandhi said in a tweet.

"The PM and FM have absolutely no idea what to do next," he tweeted with the hashtag 'Budget 2020'.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi had accused Modi of destroying India's image as a country of peace and harmony and urged the youth not to let their voice be suppressed.

Addressing a youth rally in Jaipur, the former Congress president blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre of creating an image for the country that deterred investors. He claimed that one crore people lost their jobs in the past year while the Modi government had promised the creation of two crore new ones.

Gandhi said the growth rate of 9 per cent reached during the UPA term has now declined to 5 per cent -- and claimed it is only 2.5 per cent if measured in the same manner in which it was during the UPA period.

He said Narendra Modi has not studied economics, claiming that the prime minister could not understand the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Gandhi also criticised the PM on demonetisation, when high-value currency notes were withdrawn. He urged the youth not to let their voice be suppressed and ask questions on employment and on the country's future.

Gandhi said wherever Modi goes he talks of CAA, NRC and NPR but not on "real issues" like unemployment. But the Congress leader made no direct comment on the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register -- or on the recent protests, many of them involving young people, on these issues.