RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat slams 'fuss' about economic slowdown

Mohan Bhagwat was at a gathering of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the occasion of Vijayadashmi in Nagpur. Pic/PTI

Nagpur: "Too much discussion" about the "so-called" economic slowdown is unwarranted as it makes businesses and people wary and leads to decline in economic activity, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Tuesday. He also said that RSS's emphasis on 'Swadeshi' meant self-reliance but not economic isolation. Addressing a gathering of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the occasion of Vijayadashmi here, he also said that disinvestment, if necessary, should be carried out.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a "faulty" parameter to judge economy, he opined, amid concerns about India's GDP growth. "The country is growing. But the world economy goes through a cycle, and at times it faces some hurdles that slow down the growth. Then it is called a slowdown," Bhagwat said.

"An economist told me that you call it recession only when you report growth rate of below zero. But we are having a growth rate of around 5 per cent. One can show concern towards it, but there is no need to discuss it," he said.

"Discussion over it leads to creation of atmosphere, which affects (people's) conduct. Too much discussion about so-called slowdown would make the people in business and trade believe that economy is really slowing down and they would become more conservative in their actions. It will eventually slow the growth of our economy further," he said.

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