Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday quoted billionaire Elon Musk’s comments on a global statistics report that ranked India second in terms of forecast contribution to global real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2026.
Citing the GDP data in Elon Musk’s X post, Nirmala Sitharaman said that even the opposition should understand that India has now achieved this kind of power. (PTI/AP)The finance minister said New Delhi would “bridge” the gap with China, which topped the list re-shared by Tesla’s CEO in an X post.
On January 31, the Tesla CEO re-shared a post on ‘World of Statistics’ (@stats_feed) that ranked the top 10 contributors to global real GDP growth (2026). The post, which cited the IMF (International Monetary Fund) as its data source, ranked India second with 17 percent and China first with 26.6 percent. Kasturi reposted with a caption”Changing Balance of Power.”
Meanwhile, other countries such as the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil and Saudi Arabia were placed at lower levels at 9.9 percent, 3.8 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent respectively.
The statistical report also noted that China and India alone accounted for 43.6 percent of global growth.
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In the Youth Dialogue on Union Budget 2026-27, Sita Raman Said, “…Elon Musk went “Wow, is that true” about the IMF data. I can’t remember if he actually said ‘Wow’… China contributes 26% to global GDP. India contributes 17%. Together, 43% of global GDP growth comes from these two economies.”
After the presentation, he took the opportunity to attack the opposition for his comments Budgetsaid that “India’s detractors should also understand that such is the power India has now acquired”.
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Pointing out that India is next to China, he said “the gap may be big, 26 and 17, but we will bridge it”. “But we should be confident that, with a large economy, which is right next door, we will contribute 43% of global GDP growth,” Sitharaman added.
The IMF in January raised India’s growth estimate for FY 2025-26 to 7.3 percent and forecast the country’s GDP growth at 6.4 percent for FY 2026-27.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Also mentioned Elon MuskIts post hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urging him not to “disrespect” the nation while criticizing the government.
Rijizu said he was only quoting Musk to make broader statements about national achievements. “I usually don’t respond to statements not made by Indians. I’m just quoting @elonmusk to sensitize Rahul Gandhi Gee, criticizing the government is a democratic right, don’t denigrate India and never belittle India’s achievements. Be a proud Indian,” he posted.
The Union minister’s comments came against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi’s mockery of this year’s budget and his continued criticism of the BJP-led central government’s handling of the economy.
