Ravi Shankar Prasad withdraws comments on economic slump after facing flak

A part of his statement was ‘completely twisted out of context’, the Union Minister said.

October 13, 2019 02:30 pm | Updated 02:31 pm IST - New Delhi

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad./ File photo

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad./ File photo

Facing flak after he cited ₹120 crore business done by three movies on a single day to rebut suggestions of an economic slump in the country, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday withdrew his comments.

Mr. Prasad’s comments in Mumbai on Saturday coupled with his criticism of an NSSO report on high unemployment rate and IMF’s report of a slowdown in India attracted criticism and the senior BJP leader was also trolled online.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr. Prasad claimed that one part of his statement had been “completely twisted out of context”, and said “being a sensitive person, I withdraw this comment“.

“My comments made yesterday in Mumbai about three films making ₹120 crore in a single day — the highest ever, was a factually correct statement. I had stated this as I was in Mumbai — the film capital of India. We are very proud of our film industry which provided employment to lakhs of people and contributes significantly by way of taxes,” he said.

“I had also explained in detail about the various measures the government has taken as pro-people move to strengthen our economy. Government of PM Narendra Modi always cares for the sensitivity of common people. Entire video of my media interaction is available on my social media. Yet I regret to note that one part of my statement has been completely twisted out of context. Being a sensitive person, I withdraw this comment,” Mr. Prasad said.

Mr. Prasad on Saturday said three Bollywood movies generating business of ₹120 crore on the October 2 holiday suggested a “sound economy” even as he dubbed “wrong” the NSSO report which had reportedly pegged unemployment rate at 45-year high in 2017.

Days after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the economic slowdown is more pronounced this year in India and Brazil, Mr. Prasad said the measurement was incomplete.

He alleged that some people were misleading people over the unemployment scenario.

“I was also told that on October 2, which is observed as one of the national holidays, three Hindi movies garnered ₹120 crore business. Unless the economy is sound in the country how can three movies alone collect so much business in a single day?” Mr. Prasad asked, while speaking to reporters.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.