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'Only Thing Dead Is...': BJP Shares Growth Stats After Trump's Barb, Rahul Gandhi's Endorsement

'Only Thing Dead Is...': BJP Shares Growth Stats After Trump's Barb, Rahul Gandhi's Endorsement

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The IMF's World Economic Outlook for July ranked India second only to China among developing economies, projecting a growth rate of 6.7 per cent in 2025 and 6.4 per cent for 2026.
The BJP on Sunday offered a subtle rebuttal to US President Donald Trump's 'dead economy" remark by sharing India's strong economic growth, supported by data from the US-based International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF's World Economic Outlook ranked India second only to China among developing economies, projecting a robust growth rate of 6.7 per cent in 2025 and 6.4 per cent for 2026.
Sharing the IMF data on X, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya took a pointed jab at Donald Trump over his 'dead economy" remark on India and mocked Rahul Gandhi for endorsing the claim.
'India continues to be the fastest-growing economy in the world, confirmed yet again by the IMF's World Economic Outlook update for July 2025," said Malviya.
'The only thing dead is Rahul Gandhi's self-respect and, if it exists, his brain," he added.
India continues to be the fastest growing economy in the world, confirmed yet again by the IMF's World Economic Outlook update for July 2025.The only thing dead is Rahul Gandhi's self-respect and, if it exists, his brain. pic.twitter.com/js3Ll5aF1N
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 3, 2025
Announcing the tariff hike on Indian goods and an unspecified penalty over India's purchase of Russian crude and arms, Trump posted on Truth Social: 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world."
Reacting to the claim, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday agreed with Trump's remarks that the Indian economy is 'dead" and said he is 'glad" that the US President stated a fact.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi remarked that everyone around the world acknowledges the Indian economy is 'dead"—except for the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister.
'Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy," Gandhi said.
However, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor appeared to distance himself from Rahul Gandhi's remarks, stating that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha may have had his 'own reasons" for making such a statement.
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80 years after Hiroshima: Nuclear threat still looms over global security
80 years after Hiroshima: Nuclear threat still looms over global security

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80 years after Hiroshima: Nuclear threat still looms over global security

History, with its grim cycles and painful lessons, has every reason to indict humanity. In the week marking the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Russia announced it no longer considers itself bound by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, blaming 'the actions of Western countries' for creating a 'direct threat' to its security. Last Friday, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines 'in appropriate regions' following what he described as 'highly provocative comments' by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is ironic that nuclear weapons still exist, despite the well-known devastation they cause to the planet—and the threat of nuclear sabre-rattling remains as constant as the air we breathe. Aside from white lilies and sombre memorial services for the dead, and sympathy for those emotionally and physically maimed by the two blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, little has moved forward in practical terms. In the prologue of her book Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen describes a frightening vision of what the next nuclear bomb explosion might look like. For now, it is only imagination—but reality would unfold within minutes if the bombs were ever detonated, for whatever reason. She writes: 'A 1-megaton thermonuclear weapon detonation begins with a flash of light and heat so tremendous it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend. One hundred and Eighty million degrees Fahrenheit is four or five times hotter than the temperature that occurs at the center of the Earth's sun. In the first fraction of a second this thermonuclear bomb strikes… there is light…. Soft X-ray light with a very short wavelength. The light superheats the surrounding air to a millions of degrees, creating a massive fireball that expands at millions of miles per hour. Within a few seconds, this fireball increases to a diameter of a little more than a mile (5,700 feet across), its light and heat so intense that concrete surfaces explode, metal objects melt or evaporate, stone shatters, humans instantaneously convert into combusting carbon.' This, of course, is Jacobsen's speculative scenario of what might happen if a nuclear bomb were to strike the Pentagon outside Washington. But if such an event were to occur, her imagined horror would become exact, unbearable reality. In the 653-page book The Effects of Nuclear War, authored along with Philip J Dolan, Samuel Galsstone writes, 'There are inherent difficulties in making exact measurements of weapons effects. The results are often dependent upon circumstances, which are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to control even in tests and would certainly be unpredictable in the event of an attack.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Then, after the immediate destruction there is the curse of a nuclear winter which is inevitable. A legacy of devastation, a present of peril Eighty years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people and left haunting reminders of nuclear warfare, the world remains on edge. Far from fading into the pages of history, nuclear weapons continue to cast a long, ominous shadow over global peace and security. While the world has avoided another nuclear strike since 1945, today's risks may be even more acute driven by geopolitical volatility, advancing technologies and the slow unravelling of disarmament frameworks. A world still armed to the teeth As of early 2025, the global stockpile of nuclear warheads stands at approximately 12,241, with the vast majority—over 90 per cent—held by United States and Russia. This massive arsenal is not just a relic of the Cold War but a continually modernised force, featuring increasingly sophisticated delivery systems and warhead designs, Andrew Hammond writes in The Business Times. While global treaties have aimed to curb proliferation, they have done little to dismantle the core of existing nuclear forces. Slowing clock of disarmament The post-Cold War era witnessed a surge of hope for nuclear disarmament. Treaties such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) and initiatives like the Nuclear Security Summits led to tangible reductions and enhanced controls over nuclear materials. However, this progress has since slowed, if not reversed. Today, the momentum has shifted towards rearmament. 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Standing tall: Bharat's strategic calm amid Trumpian turbulence
Standing tall: Bharat's strategic calm amid Trumpian turbulence

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Standing tall: Bharat's strategic calm amid Trumpian turbulence

Bharat must stand its ground on tariffs and be prepared for short-term pain in pursuit of long-term strategic gain read more Modi's Bharat has to be both mild and fierce while dealing with the Trumpian turbulence. Image: The White House A bully is an intriguing phenomenon. Powerful, but insecure. Loud, yet hollow. Assertive, but deeply vulnerable. He doesn't merely seek obedience — he craves submission, preferably extracted through intimidation, manipulation, or humiliation. This classic bully syndrome is evident in how Donald Trump has approached his second term as US President, especially in foreign policy. This American trait is becoming more pronounced as 'we are moving into a post-American world, one defined and directed from many places and by many people,' as author Fareed Zakaria writes in his book, The Post-American World. This new world, Zakaria adds, may not be as much about the decline of America as it is about 'the rise of the rest.' 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Meanwhile, without resorting to verbal volleys or showcasing confrontational postures, Bharat can continue doing what it has been doing thus far — buying Russian arms and importing oil. Let Bharat's actions speak for themselves. Build Strategic Alliances Bhishma also advises Yudhisthira to seek new allies when oppressed by a stronger king. He says, 'If a king is oppressed by a stronger king, he must resort to three kinds of allies and friends.' Bhishma then elaborates allies and friends as 'direct allies, allies of allies, and enemies of enemies'. Time is ripe for Bharat to expand its strategic alliances. It must build strategic coalitions — both traditional and innovative. It must reorient its ties with Europe along the lines of the UK Free Trade Agreement. It must look afresh at Asian, African, and South American markets. Some of the American trade losses can be covered there: Bharat's pharma industry, for instance, could find greater footholds in these markets. 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Bharat's message should be simple: 'We value the relationship, but we are equals. We act in our interest and expect respect.' Americans, as a people, are pragmatic. Once the noise settles, they will see that Bharat's rise is a stabilising phenomenon, not a threatening one. It seeks balance, not dominance. It avoids conflict but is unafraid of it when required. The Trumpian storm must be faced with civilisational calmness and confidence — not by shouting, but by outthinking. Not by trembling, but by standing tall. Bharat must be prepared for short-term pain in pursuit of long-term strategic gain. Because in the end, the one who doesn't bend under pressure shapes the course of history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bhishma again has a word of advice: 'People disrespect one who is mild and hate one who is fierce. Do not be mild. Do not be fierce. Be both mild and fierce.' Modi's Bharat has to be both mild and fierce while dealing with the Trumpian turbulence. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.

Trump's U-turn: After accusing Zelensky of ‘starting war', how US is using Ukraine to justify tariff on ‘friend' India
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