Rahul Gandhi in Singapore: Congress also threatens to sue author Basu for 'defaming country abroad'

New Delhi: An author who asked Congress President a question during an interactive session at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore has threatened the Congress with legal action if it doesn’t withdraw the ‘doctored’ video showing him posted on Twitter. Professor PK Basu, the author of ‘Asia Reborn’ over economic slowdown in UPA’s regime asked the Congress President that “Why is it so that in Congress regime, the per capita income has been always lower and lower than average per capita income of world but when you relinquished the government, the per capita income increased sharply.”

With political discourse hitting new lows everyday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi shows how to gracefully handle detractors and call their bluff. #RGinSingapore #IndiaAt70 pic.twitter.com/OnTJz0kzUx

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 8, 2018

Basu stressed that Gandhi repeatedly failed to answer his question and accused the Congress party of posting an edited and doctored video portraying as if the latter had convincingly given the answer. The author posted a video claiming that Gandhi had dodged the question. Talking to ABP News, Basu said “Rahul could not reply to the question. If he keeps broadcasting the doctored video then I will have to take legal action.”

Here’s the full video of my succinct question to RaGa, and his repeated failure to answer: https://t.co/DVLLUzLbrH

— Prasenjit K. Basu (@PrasenjitKBasu) March 8, 2018

Asked RaGa: “Why is is that, in all the years your family ruled, India’s per capita income grew slower than the world average, but since your family relinquished the PMship India’s per capita income has grown much faster than the world average?” Answer still awaited! Jai Hind!

— Prasenjit K. Basu (@PrasenjitKBasu) March 8, 2018

“In the video posted by Congress party, his answer was faded out,” he pointed out. In the video posted by Congress, immediately after Basu’s question, the video cuts to another member in the audience who praises the Congress. What Gandhi replied to both of them was, “You are both going to extremes. I mean give me something in the middle. I mean he (Basu) is saying I am the cause of every single problem. And you (second speaker) is saying I am the cause of every single solution. I mean, this is crazy.”

Thanks for providing the chart that makes my point. During 1947-89, India’s per capita income grew less than the world avg. In the 1980s it grew slightly faster than the world average at the expense of a BoP crisis at the end of the period. 60s and 70s were FAR below world avg

— Prasenjit K. Basu (@PrasenjitKBasu) March 9, 2018

“This conversation shows you the polarization. That gentleman (Basu) thinks that nothing has ever been done by the Congress party. This gentleman (second speaker) thinks that everything has been done by the Congress party. Let me tell you what the truth is. India’s success is hugely because of India’s people. However, anybody in this room who thinks that the Congress is not part of that success… needs to write a new book.” ‘Basu a fake economist’ Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi retorted to Basu’s allegations accusing him of tarnishing India’s image on the world forum by giving out fake data. He should be sued instead, she said. “You are a fake economist and only have personal agendas to carry forward. I can take legal action against you for defaming my country’s identity in a public forum abroad,” she said.