NEW DELHI, Jan 8: On Wednesday, Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, called on the central government to place national and public welfare above “petty politics,” following the downward revision of the GDP growth estimate for the current fiscal year.
Her statement comes as the Indian rupee reached a historic low of 85.83 against the US dollar, with the GDP growth projection anticipated to drop to 6.4 percent for 2024-25, marking the lowest rate in four years.
“The GDP growth rate is projected to decline to 6.4 percent, a fact that has been prominently featured in today’s major news outlets. The true victims of this downturn are the impoverished and hard-working citizens of this country, who, despite facing numerous challenges, are still unwilling to see any detriment befall their nation,” Mayawati noted in a post on X.
“Though the poor may not directly feel the impact of the rupee’s depreciation in the global market, they are nevertheless distressed by it. The government must acknowledge their sentiments and, putting aside its incessant petty politics, concentrate on public and national welfare to realize their aspirations for ‘Achhe Din’,” added the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier on Wednesday, the rupee fell to an all-time low of 85.83 against the dollar. The day before, the government had projected the GDP growth rate for 2024-25 to be 6.4 percent, indicating a four-year low, largely due to underperformance in both the manufacturing and services sectors.
This represents the slowest growth since the Covid pandemic year of 2020-21, when GDP recorded a contraction of 5.8 percent, in stark contrast to the 8.2 percent growth in FY 2023-24.
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party has faced challenges in recent Lok Sabha and state elections in Uttar Pradesh and currently does not align with either the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or the opposing INDIA bloc. (PTI)
