"India's economy pulled back from fragile five to top five": BJP leader Ashish Sood

PANAJI: Reacting to Congress leader P Chidambaram's remark on India's economy, Goa BJP Lok Sabha election in-charge Ashish Sood asked the Congress leader to recall the previous state of the economy and highlighted the efforts made by the BJP in uplifting it.

Highlighting former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's words that "money does not grow on trees", Sood asserted that the BJP has pulled India's economy from the "fragile five" to the "top five" economies.

"P Chidambaram forgets how the Indian economy was one of the top economists in the world Dr Manmohan Singh used to say that money does not grow on trees, somebody needs to remind this to P Chidambaram. PM Modi has pulled India's economy from the 'fragile five and put it in the top five'. Hence there is no need to take him (P Chidambaram) seriously."

Sood's response comes in the context of Chidambaram's assertion that India would inevitably rise to become one of the top three economies, regardless of the Prime Minister in office.

Former Finance Minister Chidambaram in a recent interview said that India will become the third-largest economy in the world no matter who becomes the Prime Minister. He said India would achieve this feat given the size of its population, and there was "no magic" involved in it.

Chidambaram's statement comes amid continuous assertions by the BJP leaders of the country becoming the third largest economy, if PM Modi gets re-elected to power. While addressing a recent election rally in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur, BJP President JP Nadda urged the people of Tamil Nadu to ensure Narendra Modi's return as Prime Minister for a third term and to propel India to become the world's third-largest economy.