Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that India’s GDP grew by 7.8% in the April-June quarter of 2026-27, calling it a reflection of the “collective strength” and hard work of Indians. But alongside celebrating the growth, Modi also renewed his appeal to citizens to avoid foreign holidays, weddings abroad and unnecessary gold purchases.
In a video message posted on Tuesday, September 1, Modi said India had achieved the growth despite wars, global instability and disruptions to supply chains. He also accused some people in India of spreading negativity and “jhooth ki goonj” — an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
So, what exactly did Modi say, and why did he bring up foreign travel, weddings and gold while talking about GDP growth?
According to the PM, India’s real GDP grew by 7.8% in the April-June quarter, the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year. The growth was higher than the 6.9% recorded in the same quarter last year, though lower than the 8.6% growth recorded in January-March 2026.
Modi congratulated Indians on the growth, saying it was the result of their “resolve and industrious spirit”. He also pointed to the global situation, saying India had continued to progress despite wars, instability and supply-chain disruptions.
“Since the 2020 COVID pandemic, there has been no stability anywhere, but India has progressed well,” he said.
He said India now needed to maintain the momentum and become more self-reliant, or Atmanirbhar.
Modi linked the GDP numbers to his long-standing push for Swadeshi and “Vocal for Local”, encouraging people to buy Indian-made products and spend more within the domestic economy.
His argument was that greater reliance on Indian products and services would strengthen the domestic economy and contribute to making India self-reliant.
“The more we emphasise Swadeshi, the more we emphasise self-reliance,” Modi said, adding that this would help India present a developed country to its young people when India reaches 100 years of Independence.
Modi specifically asked people to avoid foreign travel when it is only for leisure.
He said unnecessary spending abroad should be reduced and asked citizens to choose domestic tourism instead.
The same logic was applied to weddings.
Modi asked people not to hold weddings in foreign countries and instead promoted the idea of “Wed in India”, keeping wedding-related spending within India.
The idea is part of his broader Swadeshi pitch: money spent on hotels, tourism, services and other activities in India would circulate within the domestic economy instead of being spent abroad.
Modi also asked people to avoid buying gold unless it was necessary. “Unless necessary, do not buy gold,” he said.
This is not a new appeal from the Prime Minister. In May, amid concerns over the economic impact of the West Asia conflict, Modi had similarly asked citizens to conserve fuel, reduce unnecessary foreign travel and gold purchases, and support Indian products.
Gold is particularly relevant to the country’s external finances because India imports most of the gold it consumes. Reducing unnecessary imports can therefore reduce the demand for foreign currency used to pay for those imports.
The Prime Minister’s message came against the backdrop of continued global geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
He said India’s 7.8% growth had come despite wars, crises and disrupted supply chains. He argued that India needed to maintain this momentum by becoming more self-reliant.
He also said that some people within India were spreading negativity and falsehoods despite the country’s economic progress.
He made a similar seven-point appeal in May, when the government was concerned about the economic impact of the West Asia conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
At the time, he had asked people to conserve fuel, avoid unnecessary foreign travel, reduce gold purchases and promote Indian-made goods.
His latest message revives that appeal, but this time it comes alongside the announcement of stronger-than-expected GDP growth.