Amidst recent economic discussions, a divide has emerged within the Indian National Congress following Rahul Gandhi's agreement with Donald Trump's description of the Indian economy as "dead". Trump's statement, made after announcing new tariffs on Indian goods, suggested that India and Russia could "take their dead economies down together".

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asserted that "everybody knows this except PM Modi and the Finance Minister". He directly blamed Prime Minister Modi for destroying India's economic future and pointed to specific policies as the cause. These included the "Adani-Modi partnership," demonetization, a flawed Goods and Services Tax (GST), the failure of the "Assemble in India" initiative, the wiping out of MSMEs, and the crushing of farmers. Gandhi also criticized the government's foreign policy, alleging "total confusion" and claiming that the U.S. is "insulting" India, China is "threatening" India, and no country stands with India against Pakistan.

However, Gandhi's endorsement of Trump's assessment has met with opposition from within his own party. Congress MP Rajeev Shukla strongly disagreed with Trump's statement, defending the Indian economy's robustness and citing the contributions of past governments led by PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh. Shukla stated that Trump is "living in a delusion" and that India's economic condition is not weak. He also criticized Trump's tariff threats and remarks against BRICS and global trade.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also challenged Trump's assertion, emphasizing India's position as one of the top five global economies. Shashi Tharoor, another senior Congress leader, acknowledged the challenges in trade negotiations with the U.S. but stressed India's strength due to its strong domestic market and diverse options.

This divergence within the Congress party highlights the complexities of economic analysis and political strategy. While Rahul Gandhi has chosen to align with Trump's critical view to attack the Modi government, other Congress leaders are wary of validating the statements of a foreign leader who has imposed tariffs on Indian goods. They also don't want to undermine confidence in the Indian economy.

The BJP has seized on the disagreement within the Congress, using it to counter the opposition's attacks. The ruling party argues that Gandhi's stance undermines the country's economic progress and plays into the hands of those seeking to damage India's image.

The economic debate comes at a time when the Indian government is facing scrutiny over issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the impact of policies on small businesses and farmers. The differing viewpoints within the Congress reflect the challenges in formulating a unified opposition strategy on economic matters. It remains to be seen how this internal debate will shape the party's approach to holding the government accountable on economic performance in the lead-up to future elections.