Sitharaman Rebuts Rahul Gandhi's Budget Criticism: India Needs Data-Driven Opposition

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized Rahul Gandhi's budget remarks, stating he "shoots from the hip" without strong data.
• Sitharaman emphasized the need for a credible opposition backed by "good foundational data" for meaningful government response.
• She questioned Gandhi's echoing of Donald Trump's "dead economy" remark, calling it undermining to his own position.
• Sitharaman also dismissed Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's claim of the state being ignored, citing various infrastructure and welfare projects benefiting Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• She asserted that the economy's fundamentals are strong and questioned the basis of Congress's "real crises" claims.

Why It Matters: Sitharaman urges Rahul Gandhi and the opposition to use data-backed criticism for constructive dialogue.