"GDP figures tell story of widening divide": Jairam Ramesh targets Modi Govt over middle-class economic distress

Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly, Ramesh, in a post on X, asserted that the middle class is facing severe economic distress while corporate profits soar, creating a dangerous and widening economic divide.

The Congress leader highlighted that job creation has hit a standstill, forcing even long-held employment to slip away. Stagnant salaries combined with inflation have severely eroded real purchasing power.

Ramesh alleged that official statistics and GDP growth metrics are being manipulated to hide the true extent of inflation and economic stagnation. Paper figures, he argued, fail to capture the everyday financial strain on ordinary households.

"Rising inflation, mounting debt, dwindling income, In the Modi government, the middle class has only faced devastation! The Modi government is distorting and manipulating statistics to hide the true picture of inflation. The collapsing economy and shrinking job opportunities are hitting the youth generation the hardest. Data shows that companies are hiring fewer people, and even long-held jobs are slipping away. Income and savings are steadily declining in the face of inflation. Family debt is rising rapidly, forcing them to borrow just to cover daily expenses. Salaries are either stagnant or, when adjusted for inflation, their real purchasing power has diminished. On one hand, the wealth of the rich and corporate profits are growing; on the other, middle-class families are struggling to manage their household budgets," he said.

With daily expenses outstripping incomes, families are increasingly compelled to dip into savings or take on debt just to manage basic household budgets.

"In such dire economic conditions, families are compelled to dip into their savings to get by. The government is denying the truth by clinging to GDP figures, while middle-class and poor families are deeply anxious about their economic future. Our clear demand is that the government acknowledge the reality of economic distress, create more job opportunities, and take concrete steps to control inflation," added Ramesh.

Calling on the government to move past "paper GDP" figures, Ramesh demanded immediate, concrete measures to control inflation, generate sustainable employment, and address growing wealth inequality.

"Dear Mr. Modi, Rising economic inequality is one of the country's biggest concerns, yet you are fueling it. GDP figures never reveal who is benefiting from growth or how much better the common man's life is getting. When a large share of income and wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, and ordinary families are forced to live under the pressure of inflation, debt, and shrinking savings, paper GDP statistics cannot veil the ground reality. Claims of economic growth are meaningful only when their benefits reach the common man; otherwise, these figures tell the story not of progress, but of a widening economic divide," said the Congress leader. (ANI)