It has become all too familiar. Car sales continue to plummet, consumer demands continue to fall and the Finance Minister continues to make announcements aimed at reviving the economy. Like dog-whistles, hate speeches and mob-lynchings, bad news from the economy is the new normal.

We have had slow-downs in the past but India has never experienced a contraction in sales because of reduced consumer demand.

Nirmala Sitharaman has made a series of announcements, which range from ensuring interest rate cuts are passed on to consumers faster, provide a financial support package for stuck real estate projects and a host of other measures but she did not do the one thing she should have done, namely cut indirect taxes, give people more money to spend.