Modi govt promoting concentration of wealth; it's direct attack on soul of democracy: Congress
New Delhi, (PTI): Flagging the issue of concentration of wealth, the Congress on Sunday alleged that it is driven by the Modi government's economic policies and asserted that it is not just a problem for the economy, but a "direct attack on the very soul of democracy".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that India is now becoming the new hub of billionaires and the number of rich people in the country is increasing rapidly year after year.
"One report after another is warning about the widespread concentration of wealth in India. While millions of Indians struggle to meet daily needs, just 1,687 people possess half the country's wealth," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
एक के बाद एक रिपोर्ट भारत में धन के व्यापक केंद्रीकरण के बारे में आगाह कर रही है।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 5, 2025
एक तरफ करोड़ों भारतीय रोज़मर्रा की ज़रूरतें पूरी करने के लिए संघर्ष कर रहे हैं, वहीं दूसरी तरफ सिर्फ़ 1687 लोगों के पास देश की आधी दौलत है।
मोदी सरकार-प्रेरित आर्थिक नीतियों के कारण धन का इतना… pic.twitter.com/9cRluF1tDo
"This huge concentration of wealth, driven by the Modi government's economic policies, is creating massive economic inequality in our country. This inequality is giving rise to widespread social insecurity and discontent," he said.
Recent events in other countries have shown that this same extreme economic inequality and crippled democratic institutions have become catalysts for political anarchy, he said.
This government is pushing India down the same path, Ramesh said.
"A few industrialists are becoming richer and richer due to the power nexus. The Prime Minister's policies are focused solely on the benefits of his few industrialist friends," he alleged.
The MSME sector, the backbone of India's economy, is under unprecedented pressure and this pressure is the result not only of domestic policies but also of foreign policy failures, he claimed.
"Earning opportunities for ordinary people are shrinking. Inflation has risen so high that even employed people are increasingly burdened with debt instead of savings. Investment in education and health is steadily declining, and social security schemes are being weakened," Ramesh said.
Successful schemes like MGNREGA, which provided a social and economic security net for millions of people, are now grappling with wage crises, he said, adding that workers are not even getting paid on time.
"Such extreme concentration of wealth is not just a problem for the economy, but a direct attack on the very soul of democracy. When economic power is concentrated in a handful of hands, political decisions also begin to favour them," Ramesh said.
This is leading to a growing social and economic inequality, he said.
As a result, millions of citizens are gradually being excluded from the process of democracy and development, Ramesh said.
The cumulative wealth of those in the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025 is pegged at Rs 167 lakh crore, equivalent to nearly half of India's GDP.
The list has 1,687 individuals with wealth of Rs 1,000 crore, which was up by 284 while there are 148 new entrants.
Hurun said India has created a billionaire every week for the past two years now, with those in the list adding Rs 1,991 crore in wealth every day.
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Pleas against ''The Kerala Story 2'' premature, misconceived: Producer to Kerala HC
Kochi (PTI): The producer of 'The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond' has told the Kerala High Court that the pleas opposing the film’s release are “premature, misconceived and not maintainable”.
The submission was made by the film’s producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, in an affidavit filed before the court on Tuesday.
Opposing the petitions, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Wednesday said an alternative statutory remedy of seeking revision was available to the petitioners.
It also told the court that the pleas ought to have been filed as public interest litigations, which are heard by a division bench.
The petitioners contended that the film aims to tarnish the image of Kerala and harm the reputation of its people.
They further alleged that the teaser and trailer were misleading and depicted on social media content that cannot be shown in theatres.
“They (producers) are doing indirectly, through the teaser and trailer, what they cannot do directly,” advocate Maitreyi Sachidananda Hegde, appearing for one of the petitioners, Sreedev Namboodiri, told the court.
After hearing arguments for over an hour and a half, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said the matter would be taken up again on Thursday and orally asked the producers not to render the proceedings infructuous, noting that the petitioners’ apprehensions “were probably genuine”.
The court observed that a revision can be sought only after watching the film, by which time it may become redundant.
“The damage may already be done by then,” it said.
Justice Thomas said the matter would be heard again on Thursday at 9.45 am.
During the hearing, the court said it cannot pass orders regarding the teaser and trailer, as no specific relief has been sought in that regard.
It also observed that there is nothing objectionable about the film’s title by itself, unless it is linked to the content shown in the teaser and trailer.
In his affidavit, Shah contended that the CBFC is the sole expert authority under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to examine films in their entirety and certify them for public exhibition.
“The supervisory jurisdiction of this court does not extend to substituting its own assessment of a film’s content for the expert judgment of the certifying authority,” he said.
He denied the allegations in the pleas and termed them “an abuse and misuse of the process of law”.
Referring to the plea filed by Namboodiri, Shah alleged that it was filed “with a malafide intention and an ulterior motive to gain financial benefits”.
He also said the teaser was released 16 days before the filing of the plea.
He argued that the exhibition of a certified film cannot be restrained based solely on a two-minute teaser, without examining the complete film.
He further said that granting prior restraint without examining the full film, without any prima facie finding of illegality in the CBFC’s decision, and based only on a teaser, would cause “catastrophic and irreversible economic harm” to the producer, exhibitors and distribution partners.
“The film is slated for release in over 1,800 theatres across India and overseas,” Shah said.
On the title, he said the qualifier “Goes Beyond” was “not decorative”.
“It is a deliberate and conspicuous textual signal… that the film’s narrative extends beyond the geography of Kerala.
“The definite article ‘The’ refers to the first film in the franchise and does not restrict the subject matter to Kerala alone,” the affidavit said.
He also argued that if there is apprehension of protests or law-and-order issues, it is for the state to address them and not a ground to halt the release of a film.
“A scenario where any individual or group can effectively veto the exhibition of a certified film by threatening disorder would render meaningless both the CBFC certification process and the constitutional guarantee of free expression,” the affidavit stated.
The court had on Tuesday orally observed that the teaser and trailer depict Kerala, a state known for communal harmony, in a negative light.
It also noted that using the state’s name and claiming the film is based on facts could lead to communal tensions.
Three separate pleas have sought to quash the CBFC certificate granted to the film, which is scheduled for release on February 27.
Besides quashing the certification, Namboodiri’s plea also seeks modifications, including reconsideration of the film’s title.
The petitioner has alleged that the film was certified without due compliance with the statutory requirements under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
