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India's Wealth Inequality: Congress Slams Govt

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By Rediff Money Desk, New Delhi   Dec 16, 2024 21:53

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala criticizes the Indian government for wealth inequality, alleging 40% of the country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of 1% of the population.
India's Wealth Inequality: Congress Slams Govt
New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday alleged that the NDA government has been supporting capitalists that resulted in concentration of 40 per cent wealth of the country in the hands of just 1 per cent population.

Participating in the debate on 'Glorious Journey of 75 Years of The Constitution of India' in the Rajya Sabha, Surjewala said while the daily earning of a farmer in the country was merely Rs 27, an industrialist friend (of ruling parties) earned Rs 1,400 crore a day.

"In this country of 140 crore people, 1 per cent of population has 40 per cent of the nation's wealth. We have reached the colonial regime again with financial inequalities growing in the country," he said.

While a loan waiver of Rs 16 lakh crore was given to big corporates, assets of middle class people like cars, scooters, motorcycles, tractors, or small flats were auctioned to recover their loans, he said.

He said Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar had expressed concerns about people in power providing benefits to a few people.

Dr Ambedkar was also concerned about socio-economic inequalities and described it as a danger for democracy, Surjewala said.

The Congress leader highlighted three major concerns facing the country -- communalism, autocracy, and economic inequality.

"Babasaheb said when people start singing praises and idolising one person, it is a sign of autocracy," Surjewala said.

The Modi government failed to double farm income, protect people from Covid, stem communalism and Naxalism, and close the wealth inequality gap, he said.

He said that they (present government) think that the constitution is all about the use of ED, CBI and Income Tax Department to suppress opponents and break elected governments in the country.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that those who talk about Manu Smriti have tried to turn the constitution into a "Sharia constitution".

Today the question is not Manu Samriti versus constitution, it is about the identity of Babasaheb on the constitution or about sign of Sharia on the constitution, he said.

"I will take my statement back, just list four such (secular) nations where Sharia is above the constitution," he said.

He said the NDA government was not against Muslims and cited the instance of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards given to Ustaad Zakir Hussain, who died on Monday.

He further pointed out that it was the NDA government that made Dr APJ Abdul Kala, a Muslim, the President of India.

BJD MP Muzibulla Khan and AIADMK MP M Thambidurai, AITC MP Samirul Islam, and CPI-M MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya also participated in the two-day debate.
Source: PTI
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