Economy became fifth largest under 'chaiwala': PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a veiled dig at his predecessor Manmohan
Singh on Monday (November 28, 2022), saying the country's economy climbed only one spot to
tenth place despite a "renowned economist" serving as PM in the Congress-led government for
ten years until 2014. Modi, who refers to himself as a humble "chaiwala", said that the Indian
economy has risen to fifth place in the world in the eight years since he took office as prime
minister in 2014. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Gujarat, he compared his performance to
former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ten-year tenure.
"Before I assumed the office of the prime minister in 2014, the Congress had been in power for
10 years. When Congress first came to power in 2004, a renowned economist (Manmohan
Singh) was our PM and the Indian economy ranked 11th in the world. In the subsequent years,
though whatever they did, the Indian economy became the tenth largest. So, it took ten years for
India to become number 10 from number 11," PM Modi said.
"You gave reins to a 'chaiwala' (tea seller) in 2014. I never claimed I am an economist. But, I
have confidence in the strength of the citizens. In the last eight years, India became the fifth
largest economy from the tenth spot (before 2014)," he told a rally in Rajkot.
"So just compare. Ten years to become number 10 from the 11th rank (during Congress' rule),
and eight years to reach the fifth spot from the 10th position (under the BJP government)," Modi
said.
Prime Minister also stated that India has broken all export records since independence, and the
country has become a popular investment destination.