Colossal failure in govt policy: Rahul slams PM over hunger index ranking

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India ranking 102 in the Global Hunger Index, saying it reveals a "colossal failure" in government policy and blows the lid off the PM's "hollow sabka vikas" claim.

India is ranked 102 of 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2019, behind its neighbours Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores of less than five, the website of the Global Hunger Index that tracks hunger and malnutrition said on Wednesday.

"India's #GlobalHungerIndex ranking, falling steadily since 2014, has now crashed to 102/117," Gandhi said in a tweet.

"This ranking reveals a colossal failure in government policy and blows the lid off the PM's hollow 'sabka vikas' claim, parroted by Modia (sic)," the former Congress president said, attacking the PM and taking a dig at the media.

Earlier, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also attacked the Prime Minister over India ranking 102 in the Global Hunger Index, saying the PM should concentrate less on politics and more on the children in the country.

"Modi ji: Concentrate less on politics more on our children. They are our future. India slips on Global Hunger Index (GHI). 2010: 95th rank. 2019: 102nd rank," Sibal tweeted.

"93% of children (6 to 23) months don't get minimum acceptable diet," he said.