Siddharth Zarabi, the Group Editor of Business Today, exposed the economic and statistical illiteracy of Rajdeep Sardesai over the needless controversy surrounding the GDP growth rate in Quarter 1 of FY27.
During the latest episode of ‘Democratic Newsroom’ on India Today, Sardesai attempted to cast aspersions on the GDP figures by weaponising the lies of former Finance Secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg.
“It is unfortunate that every matter under the sun and the moon has been brought in, but basic economics has not been brought in. We are discussing the whole world. The problem is in the state of Hormuz, but we have gone to Babal Mandap. It’s our choice. It is a democratic debate. GDP actually, in the context of this program, should stand for great domestic progress,” Siddharth Zarabi remarked.
“If you take where India was at the time of reforms to where we have taken it, all prime ministers, all governments, regardless of political affiliation and ideology, have stuck to these numbers. Economics 101, GDP is not a manufactured number. It is an estimate. It is re-estimated five times during every year,” he pointed out.
GDP Numbers: Real Or Fudged? @szarabi looks at India’s economic journey since the reforms, highlighting how successive governments have followed the same numbers and explaining how GDP is estimated and re-estimated throughout the year. #DemocraticNewsroom #GDPGrowth… pic.twitter.com/MCwREvAF1V
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) September 3, 2026
Siddharth Zarabi was aghast at the fake narrative being peddled by Rajdeep Sardesai. “…The duplicity and the falsehood and bringing in politics, personal ideology into a serious matter…Debate jobs, debate wage growth, debate the lack of opportunity, debate what is happening to the IT sector, debate the lack of, you know, AI progress,” he said
“You are calling the chief statistician of India names without even knowing basics. You are comparing apples and oranges, current year with constant prices. You are going on TV. It is unfortunate that we cannot. I also faced the same question. I asked a humble question.
So what is the real number? A number was taken. I had two economists on the panel. I tried to take that question to them.
They didn’t even want to respond because it was beneath a response. It is economic illiteracy. I have no other way of describing it,” he pointed out.
“Debate fundamentals, debate whether organized sector and unorganized sector, debate the rise in input costs, debate whether the government has managed this crisis very well or not. But to say car sales data does not represent economic output. If you are going to argue on such baseless thoughts, then there is no argument. I’ll rest my case here,” Siddharth Zarabi concluded.
