On January 27, 2026, the Congress party released a report titled 'Inequality on the Rise, Welfare in Retreat – Real State of the Economy 2026'. The day before the Union Budget session, they questioned the reliability of government economic data and warned that inequality is growing as welfare programs shrink. Congress Research Department chairman Rajeev Gowda highlighted discrepancies in GDP growth rates, pointing out that the production-side GDP growth of 9.2% in 2024 was much higher than the 4.9% indicated by expenditure-side data. He called out the rupee’s fall, saying it was Asia’s worst-performing currency in 2025. Mr. Gowda also noted a decline in manufacturing jobs from 12.1% in 2017-18 to 11.4% in 2023-24. “What happened to Make in India?” he asked. The report shows the top 10% earn 58% of national income, while half of Indians get only 15%. Four of five Indians live on less than ₹200 a day, and household savings are at a 50-year low. The tax burden on individuals rose from 38.1% in 2013-14 to 53.4% in 2023-24, shifting more pressure onto common people. Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh urged the Finance Minister and Chief Economic Advisor to consider these realities in the upcoming Economic Survey and Budget. Party leader Amitabh Dubey called the current growth model “deeply flawed” and warned that rising inequality and welfare cuts show economic mismanagement. He accused the Modi government of assaulting MGNREGA, a major rural job scheme, and criticized failures in the Make in India program.