NEW DELHI: The BJP on Sunday accused the Congress of spreading misinformation and fake news, calling the party a “factory of fake news” in response to recent remarks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on India’s economic progress.
Amit Malviya, who heads the BJP’s National Information & Technology Department, cited seven alleged instances of misinformation shared by Congress over the past two weeks. In a video posted on social media platform X, Malviya claimed that the Congress has repeatedly used doctored videos and fabricated documents to attack the government.
“India deserves an honest opposition, not this circus of deception,” Malviya said, alleging that lies had become the Congress’s primary strategy. Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Malviya said the Congress leader invokes Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy but does not follow the values the Mahatma stood for, such as truth, non-violence, and national unity. Malviya on Saturday also responded to Gandhi’s recent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India programme.
Gandhi had called the initiative ineffective, particularly in creating jobs and boosting manufacturing.
Countering this, Malviya shared data claiming a sharp rise in electronics production from Rs 18,900 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 4.22 lakh crore in 2023-24. He added that mobile phone exports had increased 77 times from Rs 1,566 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2023-24, with 99.2% of mobile phones now manufactured in India—up from 26% a decade ago.
He further defended the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, stating it attracted investments of Rs 10,905 crore and generated total production worth Rs 7.15 lakh crore.
On employment, he said 1.8 lakh new companies were registered in 2023-24—a 16% increase from the previous year.