Indian social media users have been left fuming after Western media referred to the South Asian country as a “former British colony” while highlighting the fact that India has replaced the United Kingdom as the world’s fifth-biggest economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As per an analysis of various data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) carried out by US-headquartered Bloomberg, India’s economy surpassed that of the UK’s in the fourth quarter of 2021, also extending the lead in the first quarter of 2022.
India's GDP for the first quarter of the year was $854.7 billion, ahead of Britain's $816 billion. Data released by the Reserve Bank of India last week showed that the Indian economy grew by 13.5 percent in Q1.
On the other hand, the UK is facing its worst inflation in 40 years. The Bank of England has said that the British economy might face a recession that could last until 2024. Rising energy prices caused by Western sanctions against Russia have often been cited as the primary reason for the high inflationary pressure.
While describing India’s achievement, Bloomberg said in a social media post on Friday that “the former British colony jumped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy.”
The Telegraph, which is headquartered in London, also said India’s economic feat marked a “watershed moment for the former British colony.”
Sushant Sareen, an Indian strategic affairs’ expert at New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation (ORF), criticized Bloomberg for its choice of words to describe India.
“It must be hurting these guys…” he remarked on Twitter on Saturday.
Sanju Verma, a spokesperson of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), called Bloomberg petty for its description of India.
BJP spokesperson reacts to Bloomberg
© Photo : Twitter
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a parliamentarian and spokesperson of the main opposition Congress party, also slammed the Western media outlet for the reference.
“Revised headline: the former British Colony that was pillaged by the British in order to become largest economy has now dwarfed their former colonizers in economy size after 75 years of independence from Britain,” he remarked on Twitter.
Meanwhile, India’s economic achievement has been lauded by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who noted that as of today, only the US, China, Japan and Germany have bigger economies than that of India’s.
“A decade ago, India’s economy ranked 11th among the largest economies, while the UK’s was fifth,” she remarked.