Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sought to punch holes in Narendra Modi’s Make in India claims, saying the Prime Minister had “mastered the art of slogans, not solutions”, prompting the BJP to accuse the Congress leader of being “disconnected from reality”.

Sharing a video on X of his visit to a mobile repair shop at Nehru Place — the electronics repair and wholesale hub of the capital — Rahul wrote: “Modi ji has mastered the art of slogans, not solutions. Since 2014, manufacturing has fallen to 14% of our economy. In Nehru Place, New Delhi, I met Shivam and Saif — bright, skilled, full of promise — yet denied the opportunity to fulfil it.

“The truth is stark: we assemble, we import, but we don’t build. China profits. With no new ideas, Modi ji has surrendered. Even the much-hyped PLI scheme is now being quietly rolled back.”

In the video, Rahul is seen trying to understand the nuances of electronics repair. He said financial support would empower manufacturers to produce parts instead of importing them from China, which he admits is “the world’s only electronics market”.

Stressing how manufacturing, rather than assembly, would create jobs, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said one needed a certain level of skill and understanding of working with small components to manufacture parts.

“That is a learnt skill. That is not something you can get in just two minutes. You have to start respecting the idea of physical labour, the man who is doing that work... But we have no respect for that guy on the street who is sitting there selling his stuff for hours… and he is working as hard as anybody else,” Rahul says as the visuals shift to a shoe parts seller.

“At the centre of it, and people don’t like it when I say it… is the idea of caste…. We need to show exactly how Indian society distributes power, exactly how Indian society distributes respect,” he adds.

As Rahul leaves the South Delhi market, crowds are seen cheering him.

Responding to Rahul’s video, BJP IT head Amit Malviya posted on X: “India is now the world’s 2nd largest mobile phone producer. From just 2 mobile manufacturing units in 2014 to over 300 today."

Malviya said the “so-called ‘failed’ PLI scheme, as labelled by Rahul Gandhi, has led to cumulative investments of ₹10,905 crore and total production worth ₹7.15 lakh crore”.

He also claimed that “electronics production value rose from ₹18,900 crore (FY14) to ₹4,22,000 crore (FY24)”.

“Under PM Modi, India has transformed from an importer to a global manufacturing powerhouse. Rahul Gandhi’s narratives are outdated, misinformed, and disconnected from reality,” Malviya added.

Rahul’s video is part of a series of such interactions with working people that he has had over the past few years. In these videos, he is seen learning and practising the trades of workers and small business owners that he meets.