Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday cited government data showing industrial contraction to question the Centre’s handling of the economy, and asked who is the ‘Pappu’ now? Participating in a debate in Lok Sabha on demands for additional grants for 2022-23, Moitra accused the Narendra Modi government of spreading “falsehood” about India’s growth and appealed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take control of the economy, which, she said, is going downhill.

Referring to the latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Moitra said that while the country’s industrial output shrunk by 4 per cent in October to a 26-month low, the manufacturing sector, which is “still the biggest generator of jobs”, contracted by 5.6 per cent. “Seventeen of the industry sectors that make up the Index of Industrial Production have recorded negative growth. Forex reserves have fallen by 72 billion dollars in under a year,” she said. The manufacturing sector’s output declined by 5.6 per cent in October 2022 as against a growth of 3.3 per cent in October 2021, shows NSO data.