Indian Government Rebuts Accusations It Cooked Books to Boost Election Prospects

India Beats Back Accusations It Cooked the Books to Boost Election Prospects

Two top statisticians resigned this week to protest how the government has been handling economic-data releases

NEW DELHI—The Indian government has rushed to defend itself against accusations it was tampering with indicators to make the economy look healthier as the country heads toward elections.

A growing group of skeptics—including official statisticians—have charged New Delhi with inflating gross-domestic product and concealing unfavorable inflation data to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s performance look stronger ahead of the elections, which are scheduled to finish by mid-May.

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