Chidambaram counters Modi on growth figures
Finance Minister says BJP's PM candidate is staging a 'fake encounter' with facts
 "Chidambaram counters Modi on growth figures")
Modi is reported to have said that the economic growth rate during the tenure of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government was 8.4% a year on an average.
In a statement, Chidambaram rolled out GDP growth figures during the NDA regime as:
| Year | GDP growth |
| 1988-89 | 6.7% |
| 1999-00 | 7.6% |
| 2000-01 | 4.3% |
| 2001-02 | 5.5% |
| 2002-03 | 4.0% |
| 2003-04 | 8.1% |
In fact, none of the period, as shown by the Finance Minister, recorded 8.4% growth.
Chidambaram said the average annual growth for the six-year NDA period stood at 6% and that for the last five years at 5.9%.
In contrast, the average annual GDP growth during the first stint of the United Progressive Alliance government was at 8.4%, he said.
"For the first four years of UPA-II, the average has been 7.3%," the finance minister said, adding the two worst years since the turn of the century were 2000-01 (4.3%) and 2002-03 (4%)."
He said If there was a golden period of growth, it was the five year period under UPA-I.
"I wonder why Narendra Modi should stage a fake encounter with facts. Ultimately, facts will prevail," Chidambaram said, using the analogy of charges against the Gujarat government for belying BJP's prime ministerial candidate's claims.