New Delhi: The BJP asserted on Tuesday that inequality in the country has declined significantly under the Modi government compared to the rule of Congress-led UPA, as it cited the World Bank report which stated that the country has reached fourth position globally in equality with a Gini Index score of 25.2.
BJP national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam noted the index, a measure of income or wealth inequality, was at 28.5 when the UPA was in power, indicating significant inequalities in society.
Taking a swipe at the Congress over its frequent attacks on the government over its economic policies, he said over 20 crore people have gained employment during its over its 11-year-old term which, Islam added, is almost four times the membership of the opposition party.
He told reporters, “With continuous reforms over the past 11 years under the Modi government, the country has moved towards greater equality. This improvement in the Gini Index reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India.”
Citing another survey, he said India is among the leading countries in terms of people’s faith in democracy. People of India firmly believe that along with development, the “dignity of democracy” is also being consistently upheld in the country, he added.
According to the World Bank, he said, during the UPA regime India’s population under poverty was 27 per cent which has now come down to 5.35 per cent. The Modi government has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty, he added.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claims unemployment and inflation have risen under the government, he said, adding that the Rajya Sabha MP should know that the CPI index is currently at its lowest level at 2.3 percent while food inflation has dropped from 5.6 percent during the UPA era to just 0.99 percent now.
