West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, currently in London, appears to have openly disagreed on the prediction that India would be the world’s largest economy by 2060 but back home, a rage has started to build up.
Her Opposition in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has criticised her for tarnishing the nation’s image on foreign soil by ‘I differ’ comments on India’s economic growth prediction.
What did Mamata Banerjee say?
During a Question and Answer session at Kellogg College, Oxford University in London, the interviewer mentioned that India had already overtaken the United Kingdom and was projected to become the third-largest economy soon, with predictions that it would top the global economic rankings by 2060.
To which, Mamata Banerjee said, “I will differ from that.”
The Bengal chief minister continued: “There are so many things about which I should not speak here. Internal and external affair matters, I cannot disclose. I have some other opinion also. Because every country is facing challenge after COVID and also in the turmoil situation in the world. If an economic war-like situation is going on in the world, how do we expect that we will gain? Let us hope for the gain, we can only hope. It is our dream that our country should do best. But it depends.”
BJP backlash follows: ‘Who behaves like this?’
The BJP was furious. Several BJP leaders criticised Mamata Banerjee for her remarks on India’s economic growth, saying it was an “insult” to the office she holds.
BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya criticised Mamata Banerjee’s stance, sharing a video clip of her comments on X. “West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has a problem with India becoming the world’s largest economy. This is truly shameful. She is a disgrace to the constitutional office she holds. Who behaves like this on foreign soil?” Malviya wrote.
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, “India has surpassed the UK to become the world’s fifth-largest economy, a moment of pride for every Indian! Yet, Mamata Banerjee is tarnishing India’s reputation on foreign soil.”
“Her anti-India rhetoric is not only shameful for every Indian but also an insult to the constitutional office she holds. It is evident that you have failed as a chief minister, but do you even hesitate to call yourself an Indian? Are you truly an Indian? @MamataOfficial. Disrespecting the nation on foreign soil is equivalent to openly opposing India,” Majumdar wrote on X.
