Economic Survey confirms distress under BJP government: Kharge

A day before Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is to table the Union Budget, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday (January 31, 2026) stressed that the Narendra Modi government cannot hide behind the excuse of ‘legacy’.

“Their own legacy has pushed the economy into an unprecedented mess. Will this Budget offer real solutions to the multiple economic indicators that are now in free fall?” Mr. Kharge asked in a post on social media platform X.

He shared a video of comparative analysis of growth under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government headed by the Congress and the Modi government.

He said manufacturing growth had declined from an average of 7.4% during the UPA years to 3.54% under the current government, while the sector’s share in GDP remained stuck at about 13%, well short of the 25% target promised under the “Make in India” programme.

Unemployment among youth

Flagging employment concerns, the Congress chief cited official surveys to say that only one in two graduates was employable. Unemployment among young women stood at 26.3% and among young men at 15.8%, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey and the India Skills Report.

The Congress president also pointed to a sharp slowdown in exports, saying that India’s share in global trade had fallen to its lowest in 80 years.

He said trade deficit had touched a record $41.7 billion, citing Commerce Ministry data.

Mr. Kharge also flagged that household finances were under strain, with private sector wage hikes at their lowest in 15 years and household savings declining from 7.4% to 5.3%, according to official estimates.

‘Weakening middle-class consumption’

Rising food inflation, falling two-wheeler sales and an increase in personal loans reflected weakening middle-class consumption, the Congress Ppresident said.

On infrastructure, he cited the Economic Survey to say that 51% of the annual highway construction target remained incomplete with three months left in the financial year.

“The mess is yours, the legacy is yours. Now, show us the solution if you have one,” the Congress chief said.

Bharat Jodo Yatra

On the third anniversary of the completion of the Rahul Gandhi-led Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, the party’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh recalled how the yatra’s central message focused on “sharpening economic inequalities, deepening social polarisation, and increasing political authoritarianism” in the past 12 years.

Mr. Ramesh said the yatra that covered 4,000 km across 12 States was “a profoundly transformative event in our country’s politics”.

“It will be recalled and cherished for decades to come,” he added.