New Delhi- BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi engaged in a sharp exchange over India's manufacturing sector performance on February 5. Gandhi criticized the Modi government's 'Make in India' initiative, claiming manufacturing had dropped from 15.3% of GDP in 2014 to 12.6%, while highlighting the need to focus on emerging technologies like electric motors, batteries, and AI to compete with China.

In response, Malviya accused the Congress of stunting India's industrial growth through 'License Permit Raj' and cited the UPA government's failure to secure an Intel chip manufacturing plant in 2006. He contrasted this with the current government's semiconductor manufacturing initiatives and claimed RBI KLEMS data shows manufacturing employment grew twice as fast under Modi compared to UPA, creating 17.9 crore jobs versus 2.9 crore previously.

The debate highlighted contrasting narratives about India's industrial development, with Malviya pointing to growth in sectors like telecom equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles under current policies, while Gandhi emphasized the need for a stronger manufacturing strategy to match China's industrial capabilities and global confidence.