Rahul Gandhi Sparks Controversy Over Indian Manufacturing Claims During BMW Visit in Germany

New Delhi:

Congress's Rahul Gandhi, currently in Munich, Germany, has sparked another controversy with his comments on manufacturing in India. Following a visit to a BMW automobile manufacturing plant, Gandhi shared a video on social media criticizing India's manufacturing sector.

"Manufacturing is the backbone of strong economies. Sadly, in India, manufacturing is declining. For us to accelerate growth, we need to produce more -- build meaningful manufacturing ecosystems, and create high-quality jobs at scale," Gandhi stated in the Instagram video.

This comment provoked a swift response from the BJP, who had been anticipating criticism from him during his international tour.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari labeled Gandhi's claim of decline as "fake news." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bhandari cited a 495 percent growth in total electronics manufacturing over the past decade, along with a 760 percent increase in exports.

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A post shared by Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi)

Bhandari also highlighted that indigenous automobile production has increased 14 times since 1991.

"Automobile Manufacturing (1991 vs 2024): Vehicle production 1991: 2 million units 2024: 28 million units +1,300 per cent increase (14x growth)," his post on X stated.

He further added that India aims to produce 50 million vehicles by 2030 and become one of the top two global automobile manufacturers by 2047.

"What India is targeting next? 50 million vehicles by 2030, 200 million vehicles by 2047, and the Top-2 auto manufacturers globally. From import dependence to export dominance --this is manufacturing-led growth backed by data, not slogans. Rahul Gandhi may deny reality, but factories, exports, and numbers don't lie. Under PM Modi, India's growth story is real -- and accelerating," the BJP leader wrote.

Gandhi did, however, praise Indian engineering, noting: "A highlight was seeing TVS's 450cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with BMW. Proud moment to see Indian engineering on display".

Gandhi's comments about India during his foreign visits have regularly generated significant political controversy at home.

During his 2023 visit to Cambridge, while sharing experiences from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he claimed that democracy in India was under attack.

"I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that (Opposition) space. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy -- Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around -- all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy," he had said.

The previous year in Cambridge, he had spoken of Prime Minister Narendra Modi "creating a vision of India that is not inclusive of all parts of the country's population, which is unfair and goes against the idea of India".