New Delhi: Former finance minister P Chidambaram took a dig at the current dispensation saying not one but “three finance ministers” were handling the economy and further claimed that the Congress-led UPA I and II governments delivered highest decadal growth since Independence.

The average growth rate under the UPA-1 government was 8.87 per cent, during which it also clocked double digit growth of 10.08 per cent in 2006-07, while under UPA-2 it was 7.39 per cent, he said, citing gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the statistics ministry.

The BJP promptly retorted claiming the UPA years were marked by rising inflation and current account deficits while the Modi government had turned the situation around. Addressing a press conference at the Congress office here, Chidambaram said, “UPA 1 and UPA 2 delivered the highest decadal growth of 8.13 per cent at factor cost since Independence. It is also a matter of record that during this period 140 million people were lifted out of poverty.”

The back series data on GDP prepared by the Committee on Real Sector Statistics, constituted by the National Statistical Commission, was released on the website of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) on Friday.

The report compares growth rates between the old series (2004-05) and the new series based on 2011-12 prices.

Taking on the Narendra Modi-led government over the growth rate data, Chidambaram said the current regime inherited an economy that was on the upswing. Unfortunately, after the first two years, the government stumbled and the momentum was lost, he claimed. The main reasons were demonetisation, flawed implementation of GST and tax terrorism, the Congress leader alleged.