)
Data can be interpreted to suit one's interests. This was clear when the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, tom-tommed that economic growth during the NDA rule was better than that during the UPA rule, to claim that the A B Vajpayee government was better than Manmohan Singh's, which is in its tenth year. Finance Minister P Chidambaram countered with the average annual growth rates during the two governments.
THE REPORT CARD (in infographics)
The data show UPA scoring better. But on which government left better economic growth rates for the new dispensation to work on, the NDA scored. In terms of a decline in poverty, the UPA claimed that it brought down the number faster than the NDA. However, poverty figures come out once in 10 years (2011-12 being an exception). The figures with which the UPA compared its performance were not only during the NDA rule, but also for a period of the Narasimha Rao government and the United Front government, which was supported by the Congress from outside.
