Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday rejected the Congress criticism of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) back series data as "malicious and fraudulent jugglery", saying it was realistic and not fictional.

He said the data released on Wednesday was based on facts and best global practices, and was being rejected by the Congress as it took away "the last of its surviving arguments" that the GDP growth during the UPA era was higher compared to the present regime.