Sitharaman and Rijiju target Opposition citing Elon Musk’s post on India’s GDP | India News
Speaking at the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026-27, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman underlined India’s growing role in driving global economic growth and also made reference to billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Addressing the students, the Finance Minister said Musk cited International Monetary Fund (IMF) data to highlight the extent of India’s contribution, saying China accounts for 26% of global GDP growth, while India contributes 17%, together accounting for 43% of global growth.
#WRISTWATCH | Delhi: At the Budget 2026 Youth Dialogue, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says: “…Elon Musk takes IMF data and says ‘wow, is this true’. I don’t remember him saying ‘wow’ exactly… China contributes 26% to the growth in global GDP. India contributes 17%.… pic.twitter.com/qY53GvKeHC— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2026
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“I’m sure many of you are very active on social media, you’ve seen it. Elon Musk takes the IMF data and says ‘wow, is this true?’ he says. You know, that kind. I don’t remember exactly what he said. “Wow,” he said or something.”
He even asked the students: “Has anyone seen this tweet? What does it mean?”
Oppn must acknowledge India’s growing influence
Addressing the ongoing political debate over the 2026 budget, the Finance Minister said the Opposition must accept India’s growing influence.
He said, “I will say this in the Parliament on my own behalf, but the Indian Opposition must also understand that this is the kind of power India is getting now. Only with China. The gap could be big, 26 and 17. We will close this.”
‘Don’t underestimate India’: Rijiju
Normally I do not react to statements not made by Indians. I quote @elonmusk To sensitize Rahul Gandhi ji about not underestimating India and never belittling India’s success even though it is a democratic right to criticize the government. Be a proud Indian. #ViksitBharat pic.twitter.com/b19NPMrkNY— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 1, 2026
Similarly, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju also referred to Musk’s remarks against Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking him not to “underestimate India” while criticizing the government.
Rijiju’s remarks came as Rahul Gandhi continued to criticize the BJP-led government’s economic management, reiterating his “dead economy” comment and raising fresh objections to the Union Budget 2026-27.
In a post on X, Rijiju said he was merely quoting Elon Musk to underscore a larger point about the country’s achievements.
Rijiju said, “Normally I do not react to statements not made by Indians. I am quoting @elonmusk only to sensitize Rahul Gandhi; while criticizing the government, do not belittle India even though it is a democratic right and never belittle India’s success. Be a proud Indian.”
Elon Musk responded to IMF statistics
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday responded to the global statistics report that put India second in projected global GDP contribution for 2026.
Referring to the latest IMF data on countries contributing to global growth, Musk emphasized that India is among the top contributors, ahead of the United States.
The balance of power is changing https://t.co/mzk1KRHkcg— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2026
While sharing the chart showing the 10 countries that contributed the most to global real GDP growth in 2026, based on the IMF’s January 2026 projections, Musk said, “the balance of power is changing.”
In the post shared by Elon Musk, citing IMF data, the top 10 countries according to their projected contribution to global GDP growth in 2026 were highlighted and it was stated that the Asia-Pacific region is expected to contribute approximately 50% to total global growth.
The chart shows that China and India combined will contribute 43.6% to global growth, with India contributing 17% and the US accounting for 9.9%.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget presentation in the Lok Sabha, a historic first in Indian parliamentary history, while preparing the roadmap for the Union Budget 2026-27.
