Jairam Ramesh said gap between ultra-rich and middle class under the Modi government is more (File)
The BJP on Monday slammed the Congress for "peddling misinformation" over alleged rising economic inequality and said the average income of people has increased as the country is on an "upward trajectory" under the Modi government.
The BJP's remarks came after Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh alleged the gap between the ultra-rich and the middle class in the country was widening under the government.
Reacting to the Congress leader's claim, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "Your selective outrage and misrepresentation laced with lies are glaring, Mr Jairam".
"The nation, under the current government, is on an upward trajectory, irrespective of how you choose to twist the bare facts. Rather than attempting to smear with half-truths, maybe it's time for some introspection at your end. Because while figures don't lie, it appears you are clearly attempting to," he added.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh claimed that an analysis of the publicly available data on income tax returns for the period 2013-14 to 2021-22 confirms one of the essential themes of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' - that of increasing income inequality.
The widening gap between the ultra-rich and the middle class under the Modi government is more and more apparent, he added.
Hitting back, Mr Malviya said, "Jairam, allow me to set the record straight with cold, unadulterated facts - not the cherry-picked statistics you are using to peddle misinformation with your half-baked gyaan (knowledge), just like your boss."
Trashing Jairam Ramesh's claim, the BJP leader said firstly, the SBI research has shown that the 'Weighted Mean Income' of Rs 4.4 lakh in AY 2013-2014 has soared by almost 3 times to Rs 13 lakh in AY 2022-23.
"Do you even grasp the magnitude of this growth? The average income of all our citizens has increased," he added.
Jairam Ramesh in his post on X said the top one per cent of income taxpayers made 17 per cent of all income in 2013-14. By 2021-22, the top 1 per cent made 23 per cent of all income, he said.
The top one per cent of income taxpayers saw their income grow at 13 per cent year-on-year from 2013-14 to 2021-22 - "a massive 60 per cent faster than the income of the lowest 25 per cent of taxpayers," the Congress leader claimed.
After adjusting for inflation, the lowest 25 per cent of taxpayers actually took home less real income in 2022 than in 2019, he added.
Rejecting to Jairam Ramesh's claim, Mr Malviya contended, "While you are busy pointing fingers at the top 1 per cent, you seem to have conveniently omitted that over a span of 8 years, there is an addition of a monumental 4.81 crore more ITRs (income tax returns), filed across the board due to increased incomes".
"13.6% of our population has left the lower income bracket and migrated upwards in AY 2023 compared to AY 2012. That is not the 'ultra-rich', who flourished in the crony capitalist and license raj regime of the Congress, since Independence, but common people," he added.
Contrary to the perception being created, the BJP leader said, there is "democratisation of wealth creation", which is happening in the country.
The geographic spread of wealth creation is not restricted to a certain income class or a select group of cities. Many startup/unicorn founders are from the middle class and from different tier-2/3/4 cities. In 2012, Hurun's list of rich entrepreneurs came from only 10 cities; this number has surged to 76 cities in 2022, he said.
"It is not just about the rich getting richer," he added.
Mr Malviya said the top 30 cities of India are "usually" expected to be ahead in formal savings.
However, in the last four years, the share of cities beyond the top-30 cities in total mutual fund assets has grown from 15 per cent to 26 per cent, highlighting that the lower middle-class and middle class from tier-3 and tier-4 cities are increasing their investments in mutual funds due to better incomes, he claimed.
"According to a paper by the International Monetary Fund, through various Modi government schemes and initiatives, India has practically eradicated extreme poverty and (it) is down to less than 1%, bringing down consumption inequality to its most negligible in 40 years," Mr Malviya said.
Referring to a report of the Niti Aayog, the BJP leader said as many as 13.6 crore people have escaped the clutches of poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
"We have actually worked for the poor and middle class and delivered, rather than the Congress's empty slogans like 'Garibi Hatao'," he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)