Consumer spending in India has collapsed, says Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. (File)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a swipe at the government today over an official survey which reportedly points to a fall in consumer spending, saying the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led dispensation is making history by "driving people into poverty".
A media report cited the latest consumption expenditure survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) to claim that consumer spending fell for the first time in more than four decades in 2017-18, primarily driven by slackening rural demand.
It also claimed that the NSO report was approved to be released on June 19 this year but was withheld by the government agency owing to its "adverse" findings.
"Consumer spending in India has collapsed. Successive governments have striven tirelessly to combat poverty and empower the people. This government is making history by driving people into poverty: while rural India faces the dire consequences of their policies, the BJP ensures that their corporate friends become richer by the day," she said in a tweet.
Usually governments work towards eradicating poverty, not towards eliminating data, the Congress general secretary claimed.