The Congress on Thursday said that the “billionaire raj” under the Narendra Modi government was more unequal than the British Raj, referring to the findings of a new list of rich people in the country.
Sharing a news report on the Hurun India Rich List, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “India has had one billionaire for every five days in 2023, and the non-biological Prime Minister’s closest friend is the foremost among them all.”
The 2024 Hurun India Rich List announced Gautam Adani as the richest Indian, replacing Mukesh Ambani.
“Modi’s Billionaire Raj is more unequal than even the British Raj. But it is also the cornerstone of the government’s economic policy-making,” Mr. Ramesh added.
“This is why, at a time when countries across the world are coalescing around the idea of a global billionaire tax, the Indian government has been conspicuously silent and continues to remain blind to rapidly increasing economic inequalities,” he alleged.
According to the list, Mr. Adani’s net worth shot up 95% to ₹11.6 lakh crore last year, while that of Mr. Ambani, Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director, increased by 25% to ₹10.14 lakh crore.
In the 2014 edition, Hurun India pegged Mr. Adani’s fortunes at ₹44,000 crore, which made him the tenth richest Indian then.
