VISAKHAPATNAM — A sharp political clash over India's economic health erupted Saturday as government official Lanka Dinakar accused opposition parties of deliberately distorting GDP growth figures to mislead the public.

Key facts

  • Official GDP growth stands at 7.8% for the period
  • Opposition parties claim growth is actually 2.6%
  • Dispute centers on mixing old and new GDP data series
  • Dinakar chairs 20 Points Programme for Viksit Bharat

The Statistical Battlefield

At the heart of the controversy lies what Dinakar calls a fundamentally flawed comparison. Opposition critics have been combining numbers from the old 2011-12 GDP series with the new 2022-23 series to arrive at their 2.6% figure—a methodology Dinakar dismisses as scientifically invalid.

"Growth must be calculated based on a single GDP series, a single base year, a consistent methodology, and comparable prices," he insisted, his frustration palpable. Taking 2025-26 figures from the old series and 2026-27 numbers from the new series, then presenting the difference as actual growth, simply doesn't hold water statistically.

Behind the Base Year Change

The selection of 2022-23 as the new base year wasn't some political whim, Dinakar explained. It came from the Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics after careful examination of multiple years.

The committee weighed significant factors—the implementation of GST, COVID-19's devastating impact, and the remarkable post-pandemic recovery—before settling on 2022-23 as a relatively normal year for comparison.

"Congress may criticise the policies of the Centre, which is its democratic right. However, changing statistical standards to suit political opposition is not acceptable."

A Transformed Economy

India's economy has undergone profound changes between 2011-12 and 2026, Dinakar noted. The country has made substantial strides in manufacturing, digital infrastructure, e-commerce, financial services, and business formalization—changes that make direct comparisons across different series misleading.

He challenged critics directly: if Congress and Left parties truly believe their 2.6% growth claim holds water, they should place their complete data, methodology, evidence, and calculations before the public for scrutiny.