New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday hit back at opposition parties and former finance secretary Subhash Garg over criticism of India's 7.8 per cent GDP growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2026-27.

Goyal accused critics of misleading the public by comparing growth figures based on different GDP series and said India remained the fastest-growing major economy despite global uncertainty.

India's economy expanded 7.8 per cent in real terms in the first quarter of 2026-27, according to the revised GDP series.

Goyal said India remained an "oasis in the desert" amid global turmoil and maintained its position as the fastest-growing among the world's large economies.

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Goyal says critics are comparing 'Apples with Apples'

Taking aim at opposition leaders and former economic officials, Goyal questioned the way some critics were interpreting the latest GDP numbers.

"The naysayers can say what they want, but 7.8 per cent growth is a reality. When I see on television some of the opposition leaders, even possibly you can throw in along with them a former finance secretary or a former Reserve Bank governor, both of whom could not complete their time in India or in the government and for the right reasons.

"They don't even know how to compare apples with apples. They are trying to misguide the people of India, comparing a growth rate at an old series with a new series, where the base year itself has changed," Goyal told reporters here.

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'Where are the jobs?' Goyal responds to critics

Goyal said critics were also questioning whether the strong GDP growth was translating into employment.

He said the demand for workers remained high, particularly in the textile industry, and cited requests from businesses in Tiruppur for additional manpower.

"Send me 100,000 people in Tiruppur; we will fill and provide them a job," he said.

Goyal further attacked those questioning the employment situation, saying the critics themselves were struggling to accept the economic growth figures.

He said that the naysayers somehow are not able to digest that they themselves are the "only jobless people left".

"And the only possible job left is to get on to a television panel trying to concoct or manufacture an argument," he added.

Subhash Garg questions GDP growth calculation

Garg has questioned the latest GDP growth figure, arguing that the growth rate would have been around 2.6 per cent in current prices if the previous year's GDP had not been revised down from approximately Rs 86 lakh crore to Rs 80 lakh crore.

He also argued that the underlying economic data cannot simply be concealed, pointing to the system used to record economic activity each month and quarter.

Goyal, however, rejected the criticism and defended the credibility of the official figures.

"We politicians, ministers and MPs do not manufacture these figures. When you (referring to Opposition leaders) come forward with such a negative mindset, you are, in a way, belittling yourself," Goyal said.