Modi Government’s Claim of an Egalitarian Society is Misleading : Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the government has deliberately engaged in intellectual dishonesty, while the truth is that Indian society is the 40th most unequal society globally.

He also demanded that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) withdraw the related press release.The government, citing the World Bank report, claimed that India is now among the most egalitarian societies in the world, with only the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus ranking above it.

In a statement, Ramesh said, “Understand the chronology. In April 2025, the World Bank released its ‘Poverty and Equity Brief’ for India. Shortly after, the Congress issued a statement highlighting several warning signs in the report, including that government data on poverty and inequality in India underrepresents the actual situation.”

He added that three months after the report’s release, on July 5, the Modi government’s “cheerleading squad” and “Press (Mis)Information Bureau” (PIB) issued a press release making the shocking and groundless claim that Indian society is among the most egalitarian in the world.

The Congress leader claimed that it has now come to light that the Modi government was not only careless in its analysis of the World Bank report but also deliberately engaged in intellectual dishonesty.

Ramesh explained, “To arrive at its conclusion, the Modi government deliberately used two different metrics—‘consumption-based inequality’ for India and ‘income-based inequality’ for other countries.”

He emphasized that comparing two entities requires using the same standard, which is not only a fundamental principle of economic analysis but also a matter of common sense.

Ramesh stated, “When we compare India’s income-based equality with the rest of the world, India’s performance is abysmal. In 2019, India ranked 176th out of 216 countries. In other words, Indian society is not the fourth most egalitarian but the 40th most unequal society in the world.”

He stated, “Such misleading analysis, propagated through the government’s PIB, reveals one of two serious truths—either this government suffers from a dangerous lack of competence or a complete absence of intellectual honesty.”

He demanded that the PIB immediately clarify who directed the issuance of this press release and withdraw it promptly.

Ramesh further noted, “The trend of arbitrary and inconsistent statements from Modi government officials has become a dangerous pattern. In May 2025, we saw conflicting and confusing statements from NITI Aayog officials regarding the size of the Indian economy.”

He alleged that the political leadership’s tendency toward distortion and propaganda has now permeated to the bureaucracy.

The Congress leader emphasized, “By manipulating data, the Modi government cannot ignore the harsh reality staring us in the face—rapidly growing and severe economic inequality, born out of the government’s own mindset and policies.”