RSS chief negates talk of economic decline; Cong slams claim

‘Too much discussion’ about the ‘so-called’ economic slowdown is unwarranted as it makes
businesses and people wary and leads to decline in economic activity, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Tuesday (October 8). Hours after Bhagwat’s statement, the Maharashtra unit of Congress slammed him for his views.

The government was taking measures to improve the situation, and we must have faith in it, Bhagwat said, addressing a gathering of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the occasion of Vijayadashmi.

“The country is growing. But the world economy goes through a cycle, and at times it faces some hurdles that slow down the growth. Then it is called a slowdown,” Bhagwat said.

“An economist told me that you call it recession only when you report growth rate of below zero. But we are having a growth rate of around 5 per cent. One can show concern towards
it, but there is no need to discuss it,” he said.

“Discussion over it leads to creation of an atmosphere, which affects (people’s) conduct. Too much discussion about so-called slowdown would make the people in business and trade believe that economy is really slowing down and they would become more conservative in their actions. It will eventually slow the growth of our economy further,” he said.

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“The government has shown sensitivity towards the issue and has taken some steps,” he said. The government also faced some (external) factors such as the trade war between the United States and China, the Sangh supremo said.

“We need to trust our government. We have taken so many steps, there will be some positive impact in the coming days,” he said.

Congress slams Bhagwat for his statements 

Reacting to his assertion, the Maharashtra unit of Congress condemned his speech on lynchings and economic slowdown in the country. Those involved in incidents of lynching came from the RSS ideology, state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said in a statement here.

“It is as much a lie to say that RSS has nothing to do with lynchings as it is a lie to say that RSS is a cultural organisation, is anti-casteist, pro-reservation and respects the Constitution and tricolour,” Sawant said.

“Spreading falsehood is the ideology of the Sangh Parivar,” the Congress leader alleged. Addressing the RSS’s Vijayadashmi rally in Nagpur on Tuesday morning, Bhagwat said it was wrong to use the term lynching in the Indian context.

The term was being used to defame the country, he claimed.

Bhagwat statement that there was no recession as the country’s economy was growing at the rate of five per cent also came in for criticism from the Congress.

(With inputs from agencies)