Jairam Ramesh said that this is the cornerstone of the government’s economic policy. | Photo: PTI
The Congress on Thursday latched on to a fresh list of riches to attack the Centre, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “billionaire raj” is more unequal than the British Raj and is also the cornerstone of the government’s economic policy.
Congress General Secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X that cited the Hurun India Rich List to claim that India created a new billionaire every five days throughout 2023.
“India has had a billionaire every five days in 2023, and the non-biological Prime Minister’s closest friend is the most important among them all,” Ramesh said on X.
“Modi’s billionaire Raj is more unequal than the British Raj, but it is also the cornerstone of the government’s economic policy,” he said.
This is why, at a time when countries around the world are rallying around the idea of a global tax on billionaires, the Indian government has been conspicuously silent and remains blind to rapidly rising economic inequalities, Ramesh said.
Reeling from the damage caused by the Hindenburg Research report, Gautam Adani’s net worth soared 95 per cent to Rs 11.6 lakh crore last year, helping him displace Mukesh Ambani to become the richest Indian, according to the Hurun India Rich List 2024.
Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Ambani’s overall net worth rose 25 per cent to Rs 10.14 lakh crore, according to the Hurun List.
In the 2023 report, Adani’s wealth declined by 57 per cent to Rs 4.74 lakh crore, with Ambani far ahead with a fortune of Rs 8.08 lakh crore.
It is worth noting that Adani’s net worth dropped drastically following several allegations levelled by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research. The conglomerate has denied all the allegations.
In the 2014 edition, Hurun had estimated Adani’s fortune at Rs 44,000 crore, making him the 10th richest Indian at the time.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 29, 2024 | 18:37 IS
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