New Delhi, May 31 -- Indian economist and author Surjit Bhalla has said that weak private investment, rather than the ongoing West Asia crisis, is the key factor slowing India's economic growth.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Bhalla said that India's strong GDP numbers six to eight months ago created a misleading picture of the economy because growth was being driven largely by government spending while private investment remained weak.

"...you said that six, eight months ago, India was shining... But what I'm trying to say is I think that was a misinterpretation of what was going on," Bhalla said.

He noted that most economic indicators appeared healthy at the time. "By all standard measures... GDP growth, it was perfectly fine, t...