MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Wednesday said the Union government cannot cheat the people by boasting in the President’s usual address to Parliament.
Referring to the mention of India’s economy in the President’s speech, which he said was on an upward trajectory and among the fastest growing economies in the world, Mr. Vaiko pointed out that the International Monetary Fund had assigned India’s national account statistics a “C” grade. He added that the value of the Indian rupee is depreciating against the US dollar.
In his speech, the President also said that the center is following the path of inclusive growth with emphasis on the backward classes. However, statistics from the recently released World Inequality Report 2026 revealed that only 10% of India’s population earned around 58% of the country’s total income, the MDMK leader said.
He said that inequality is not just limited to income and that the wealth gap is even deeper. The richest 10% in India owned approximately 65% of the country’s total wealth, of which 40% was owned by the top 1% alone. While the ground reality was different, the Modi government boasted of inclusive growth in the President’s address, Mr. Vaiko said.
He also said that violence against Dalits and religious minorities has increased in the last 10 years. States’ rights were taken away and independent agencies were forced to function as puppets of the BJP government, he said.
Published – 29 Jan 2026 0:25 AM IST
