In a sharp address to the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Make-in-India’ initiative, claiming it failed to address India’s growing unemployment crisis and the country’s manufacturing sector’s decline. Gandhi pointed out that despite the initiative’s good concept, its implementation had been ineffective. He highlighted that the share of manufacturing in India’s GDP had decreased from 15.3% in 2014 to just 12.6%, the lowest in 60 years. Although Gandhi acknowledged that Modi had made efforts to boost manufacturing, he argued that these efforts had failed, leading to an ongoing struggle with unemployment that neither the Congress-led UPA government nor the BJP-led NDA had successfully solved.
 

Gandhi continued his attack by discussing the failure of India to establish a self-reliant manufacturing ecosystem, citing China’s dominant role in producing goods for the Indian market. He pointed out that while mobile phones may be "assembled" in India, the components are still sourced from China, thus contributing to India’s economic dependence on its neighbor. Gandhi emphasized that this over-reliance on China for key products posed a national security threat, especially when he pivoted to discuss the ongoing India-China border issue. Gandhi claimed that China now controls over 4,000 square kilometers of Indian territory, contradicting the government’s narrative that no land had been lost to China.
 

The speech stirred sharp reactions from the government, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju quickly rejecting Gandhi’s claims, labeling them as lies and demanding that he present evidence to back up his allegations. Rijiju's rebuke was followed by a reprimand from the Lok Sabha Speaker, who demanded that Gandhi provide proof for his statements. Gandhi, however, continued his criticism by drawing attention to the contradictions in government positions, especially in regard to national security and China’s presence in Indian territory. Concluding his remarks, Gandhi urged Prime Minister Modi to be truthful and maintain the values of leaders like Sardar Patel, Ambedkar, and Nehru. He cautioned that the rising anger and hatred in political discourse were harming the nation, and called for a more balanced and honest approach to leadership.