Kiren Rijiju cites Elon Musk to counter Rahul Gandhi's charge on economy

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Kiren Rijiju has cited a post on X by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to refute Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Centre’s handling of the Indian economy, the latest of which came after the Union Budget 2026-27 was presented in the Parliament.

Recently, Musk reposted a post on the likely top contributors to the global real GDP growth, and the list placed India at the second spot ahead of the US, which was put in the third place. “The balance of power is changing,” stated Musk.

“Only to sensitise Rahul Gandhi’

The Union Parliamentary Minister stated that he was citing Musk’s post only to “sensitise” Rahul not to disparage India while criticising the government. Rijiju further stated that criticising the government was a democratic right and advised Rahul to be a “proud Indian”.

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“I normally do not react to statements which are not made by Indians. I'm quoting @elonmusk only to sensitise Rahul Gandhi ji that, while criticising the govt is a democratic right, do not disparage India & never belittle India's achievement. Be a proud Indian,” stated Rijju.

What Nirmala Sitharaman said

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also weighed in, citing Elon Musk’s remarks while addressing the Youth Dialogue on the Union Budget 2026. Referring to IMF data highlighted by the SpaceX chief, she pointed to India’s expanding role in driving global growth.

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“Elon Musk takes the IMF data to say ‘wow, is this true’. I don't remember if he exactly said 'wow'... China contributes 26 per cent of growth in global GDP. India contributes 17 per cent. Together, 43 per cent of global GDP growth comes from these two economies... But India's opposition should also understand that this is the kind of strength that India has acquired now,” Sitharaman said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

She further stated that the figures reflected the economic ground India has gained in recent years and noted that while the gap with China remained wide, it was not insurmountable.

What Musk said in his X post

Musk shared a post which listed the projected top 10 countries which are expected to become the top contributors to the global real GDP growth in 2026.

The post cited IMF data stating that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for around 50 per cent of the global real GDP growth.

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The ranking placed India ahead of the United States, with its share of global GDP growth projected at 17 per cent. China was estimated to contribute 26.6 per cent, while the US, Indonesia and Germany were pegged at 9.9 per cent, 3.8 per cent and 0.9 per cent, respectively.

Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund revised India’s outlook upward, raising the country’s growth projection to 7.3 per cent for the 2025-26 fiscal and estimating GDP growth of 6.4 per cent for 2026-27.

Rahul’s criticism of government

Union minister Kiren Rijiju’s comments come amid Rahul’s sustained criticism of the government’s economic. Rahul has repeatedly questioned the BJP’s policies, including last year when he referred to US President Donald Trump’s description of India’s economy as “dead” and blamed the government for its condition.

Following the presentation of the Union Budget in Parliament on Sunday, Gandhi again took to X, listing what he described as major concerns left unaddressed.

“Youth without jobs. Falling manufacturing. Investors pulling out capital. Household savings plummeting. Farmers in distress. Looming global shocks - all ignored. A Budget that refuses course correction, blind to India’s real crises,” he wrote.