India's richest 1% enjoy 22.6% of national income: Kharge in swipe at BJP

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday reaffirmed the party's demand for a nationwide caste census, saying that the grand old party will bring an "Affirmative action policy" under "Participatory Justice" that will start revolutionary change in the country.

In his post on X, Kharge came down heavily on the BJP while expanding on why the party brought the idea of "Participatory Justice" into the national discourse going into the Lok Sabha elections.

"India's richest 1 percent enjoy 22.6 percent of national income, more than the British Raj, while the poorest 50 percent enjoy only 15 percent of national income. This has happened in the last 10 years of Modi government. The net worth of billionaires has grown by more than 280 per cent between 2014 and 2022, which is 10 times the growth rate of national income over the same period. On the other hand, about 34 per cent of households in India earn less than the proposed national level minimum wage of Rs375 per day," the Congress President posted from his X handle.

He added that the Congress, as part of the guarantees under 'Participatory Justice', will conduct a comprehensive social, economic and caste census.

"Through this, the population, socio-economic condition of all castes and communities, their share in the national wealth and their representation in the institutions related to governance will be surveyed. This AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY will bring revolutionary change in the country," he added.