Critics of $5-trillion economy are 'professional pessimists', says PM Modi

PM Modi said India should use its demographic dividend to join the league of developed countries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said reducing India’s oil import bill would help strengthen the economy and described the critics of his government’s target of making India a $5-trillion economy in the next five years as “professional pessimists”.

Modi, who was in his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, to launch his party’s membership drive on the occasion of the 118th birth anniversary of party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee, explained to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers the rationale behind the $5-trillion economy objective and asked them to disseminate the message among people.

“The size of the cake matters. The bigger the cake, the