BJP cites IMF report to counter Trump’s ‘dead economy’ jibe

In a sharp rebuttal to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump branding India’s economy as “dead”, top BJP leaders and Union Ministers have cited the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest projections to assert that India remains the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

Without naming Trump directly, several ministers, including Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnaw, shared the IMF’s July-2025 World Economic Outlook update, which pegs India’s growth at 6.5% in 2024 under the “emerging market and developing economies” category.

“India’s economy is thriving,” Goyal wrote in a post on X. Vaishnaw also highlighted, “Bharat continues to be the fastest-growing economy — IMF report.”

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya took a dig at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for echoing Trump’s “dead economy” remark. “India continues to be the fastest growing economy in the world, confirmed yet again by the IMF’s World Economic Outlook update for July 2025. The only thing dead is Rahul Gandhi’s self-respect and, if it exists, his brain,” Malviya posted.

While announcing 25% tariffs on Indian imports, Trump had dismissed the Indian and Russian economies, saying, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”

However, the IMF’s data has projected India to grow by 6.4% in 2025 and 2026, outpacing major global economies, including China, whose growth is expected to slow to 4.2% by 2026. Global growth is also projected at only 3% for 2025, with advanced economies expected to expand by 1.5%.