'Suit-boot' govt's only target is to fill coffers of 'friends': Rahul on 'falling incomes'

The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre over the reported fall in incomes of the poor and the middle class, with Rahul Gandhi alleging that no matter how much the public is suffering from inflation and unemployment, the "suit-boot" government's only target is to fill the coffers of "friends".

Gandhi posted a graph on Twitter of household per capita income growth sourced to 'India's Consumer Economy 360 Survey' which showed that between 2016 and 2021 income of poor class decreased by about 50 per cent, income of middle class fell by about 10 per cent and the income of about rich class increased by about 40 per cent.

"No matter how much the public is suffering from inflation and unemployment, the 'suit-boot government' has only one target -- to fill the coffers of 'friends'," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Tagging an article expressing concern over the growth rate of wages of labourers and workers, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet, "Growth rate of real wages between 2014-15 to 2021-22 per year: 0.9%- Agricultural labour, 0.2%- Construction workers, 0.3%- Non-agricultural labour."

"But in just the last 5 years Adani's wealth increased by 1440 per cent. Mitr ka Saath, Mitr ka Vikas!" Ramesh said.

The Congress has been accusing the government of working for the benefit of "crony capitalist" friends, a charge rejected by the government.