New Delhi, September 6: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's husband Parakala Prabhakar hit out at the Narendra Modi government over the prevailing economic crisis in the country after June quarter GDP contracted at 23.9 percent. Taking a dig at Nirmala Sitharaman's "act of God" statement on the fall of revenue in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Prabhakar said that the real "act of God" is lack of ideas. India’s GDP Contracts By 23.9% In April-June Quarter Amid The COVID-19 Crises, Worst In 24 Years!

Finance Minister's husband also shared his article which he wrote in October last write about falling Indian economy under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Prabhakar tweeted, "Real 'Act of God' is lack of coherent set of ideas in the govt to respond to macro-economic challenges. Covid is a late comer. What I said in Oct '19 on govt's denial mode is vindicated by 23.9% contraction. Do something at least now, for God's sake."

Tweet by Parakala Prabhakar: 

Notably, India's GDP for June quarter contracted by 23.9 percent. According to analysts, it is the steepest ever on record, showing that the impact of the lockdown has been way higher than anticipated. India's performance is the third-worst among the over 50 countries which have come out with GDP numbers so far, and some analysts expect the remaining three quarters in the fiscal to show negative growth as well.

Sitharaman's statement drew flak last month, when she referred to COVID-19 pandemic as an "act of God". The Finance Minister, who talked to reporters through video conferencing after 41st meeting of GST Council, said the two options for compensating states on the GST to bridge revenue shortfall, will be available only for this year. "This year we are facing an extraordinary situation. We are facing an act of God where we may even see a contraction of the economy," she said. Meanwhile, Sitharaman on Friday said the country is witnessing a V-shaped economic recovery.

Prabhakar was Congress students' wing National Student Union's (NSUI) Unit President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1983. His father was a Minister for 20 years in Congress Governments in Andhra Pradesh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2020 02:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).