BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised the Congress for holding a mock Parliament, citing World Bank data as proof of significant poverty reduction and improved living standards achieved under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership since 2011.
BJP MP Criticises Congress Over Mock Parliament
New Delhi [India], October 31 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sudhanshu Trivedi on Saturday criticised the Congress over its mock Parliament, accusing the opposition party of attempting to create chaos in the country and questioning its political narrative on poverty. Citing the World Bank's 2025 report, he claimed that India had achieved a significant reduction in poverty between 2011 and 2023 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Addressing a press conference, Trivedi said the Congress had organised a mock Parliament after failing in its alleged attempts to create unrest in the country. He claimed that the World Bank's findings presented a contrasting picture of India's progress on poverty reduction.
World Bank Data on Poverty Reduction
Trivedi said, "After failing in their plans to create chaos in India, the Congress party organised a mock Parliament to soothe its troubled prince. However, during that mock session, a harsh reality was presented to the country by the World Bank. The World Bank included this in its 2025 report, stating that India has successfully reduced poverty at the fastest rate ever between 2011 and 2023. It said that there was a time when 27 point something per cent of people were living below the poverty line, but now only 2.6 per cent of people remain in that category. The World Bank has acknowledged this as well."
Improvement in Living Standards
The BJP MP further cited income-related figures to highlight the claimed improvement in living standards, stating that the proportion of people earning less than Rs 400 per day had declined. He asserted, "About 13 or 14 years ago, 57 per cent of people in India had a daily income of 4.2 dollars, which is equivalent to today's money. Today, only 16 per cent of people have a daily income of less than Rs 400 in today's Indian currency. This means that 84 per cent of people today earn more than Rs 400 a day. The reality is that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NDA government are not only committed to improving the standard of living of every single person in India but are also successfully achieving this goal. We have achieved tremendous success in eradicating poverty, and the World Bank's report has acknowledged this."
Economic Equality and Political Discourse
Trivedi also referred to the Gini Index, which measures economic inequality, and claimed that India's score of 22.5 placed it among the most economically equal countries in the world. He said that India ranked fourth globally and had the lowest inequality among G7 and G20 countries. "I also want to remind everyone that in August 2025, the World Bank released the Gini Index, which measures economic inequality. India's score was 22.5, meaning that India was considered one of the most economically equal countries in the world, ranking fourth. At that time, among all the G7 and G20 countries, inequality was the lowest in India. The reality is different, but what can one say about Rahul Gandhi, who said in August 2013 that poverty is a mindset? This means that poverty is just a mindset and everything else will come to you on its own. Meanwhile, Dr Manmohan Singh said that money does not grow on trees. There is a world of difference between their thinking and that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Trivedi.
Targeting the Congress leadership over its approach to poverty and economic development, Trivedi contrasted the remarks attributed to Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh with the policies of the present government. He alleged that the Congress's approach had kept a large section of the population in extreme poverty and reiterated that the World Bank's findings reflected the progress made under the Modi government. “Their mindset kept a huge section of India's population in extreme poverty. Today, the World Bank has acknowledged that under Modi's leadership, only 2.6 per cent of people in India remain in extreme poverty, while 27 per cent of people who were living in extreme poverty earlier have now come out of it. So, I think this is the reality that should be presented in the mock Parliament," he added.
Sudhanshu Trivedi's remarks come as INDIA bloc leaders are scheduled to hold their public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday at 3.30 pm at 10, Rajaji Marg, the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The programme was rescheduled after being postponed on Friday due to rain in the national capital. Rahul Gandhi announced the decision, saying it was taken by consensus to avoid inconvenience to senior leaders. (ANI)
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