Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday claimed the country was not facing any economic crisis, reported PTI. “We are not in any crisis,” he said. “Some reactions from non-banking financial companies are there. But we are addressing all issues.”

Javadekar added that the Centre was taking all necessary steps to boost the financial health of the country. “To make the economy stronger, the government has taken all measures and I want to say that the fundamentals of the country’s economy are strong,” he added.

Javadekar’s comments come at a time when India’s economic growth rate has slipped a six-year low. Last month, it was reported that the economy grew only 5% in the April-June quarter. In the last few months, core sectors such as automobiles and manufacturing have witnessed a progressive slowdown due to weakened consumer demand and dearth of investments.

Training guns at the Congress, the Union minister said the Opposition party was criticising the upcoming “Howdy Modi” event in the ciy of Houston in the United States, where the prime minister is scheduled to address the Indian diaspora, because it was jealous. “Congress has never got this much popularity and will never get,” he added. “I can only say that grapes are sour.”

So far, more than 50,000 Indian Americans have registered for the September 22 event. US President Donald Trump and other American politicians are expected to attend the event. This will be the first time an American president will address thousands of Indian Americans at one place.

On Wednesday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said managing headlines in the media would not help the country. In an apparent reference to the Houston event, Gandhi in a tweet said: “Sponsored events in foreign countries do not bring investors. Investors have lost faith. Economic investment has lost ground.”

Javadekar mocked Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for his “saffron-clad rapists” remark, and said even his own party did not take him seriously.

On Tuesday, Singh had courted controversy by alleging that people in “saffron robes” were committing rapes in temples. Though the Congress leader did not name anyone, his remarks came at a time Bharatiya Janata Party leader Chinmayanand is being investigated for allegedly raping and sexually harassing a law student in Uttar Pradesh. The woman from Shahjahanpur district has accused the former Union minister of blackmailing and sexually assaulting her for more than a year.

“Why should we react?” asked Javadekar. “We have seen his mentality after the Mumbai terror attacks. Since then he has been making such statements.”

Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.