Not 7.8%. Not 10.3%. Just 2.6%. That’s the nominal GDP growth rate, according to former Finance Secretary Saurabh Garg, who’s challenging the government’s claim of a booming 7.8% real growth in Q1 of FY2026-27. If he’s right, after adjusting for inflation, real growth could be near zero. Why does this matter? Because GDP isn’t just a statistic; it’s the backbone of every policy, election promise, and investor decision. The controversy isn’t new. Back in 2015, when the base year shifted from 2004-05 to 2011-12, the methodology changed too; using market rates, corporate data, and new formulas. Critics say it painted a rosier picture of recent growth while dimming the UPA-era numbers. Even Arvind Subramanian, ex-Chef Economic Adviser, once claimed growth was overestimated by almost 3%. Today, as the government celebrates 7.8%, the Opposition calls it ‘statistical jugglery’. But beyond politics, the real question is: Can we trust the numbers that shape our economy? If the official data doesn’t match ground reality; jobless youth, falling farm incomes, rising prices; then growth isn’t just controversial. It’s meaningless.