New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS): The Congress has said the Narendra Modi government is hiding facts on consumption, which has hit 40-year low and is the reason behind the slow economic growth.

Congress leader Gaurav Ballabh said, here on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was playing its "favourite hide and seek game" with the consumption data.

"We demand that the government should not hide data. Make it public to let it be discussed. India is capable of battling all odds," the Congress leader remarked.

On Moody's 5.4 per cent India growth estimate for 2020, Ballabh said the American credit rating agency was a favourite agency of the government. The Congress claimed that 16 of the 23 manufacturing sectors were in bad shape.

Stating that the country has witnessed the lowest growth in 9 years, he said it would reduce savings because inflation was at 7.95 per cent.

"Those talking about the Gujarat model are now building walls to hide the poverty there. If a disease is to be treated, you will have to first accept that it's there. But BJP doesn't accept its failures," the Congress leader said.

Remarking that poverty increases when consumption is low, the Congress said according to the UNDP data for 2005-2015, over 271 million people were lifted out of poverty in India.

Attributing it to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, the Congress said the rural consumption had gone down as the farm sector was in poor shape and funds for the MNREGA had been reduced.

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