Ahead of the Union Budget session, the Congress party has released a report titled "Inequality on the rise, Welfare in Retreat - Real State of the Economy 2026," criticizing the current government's economic policies and data. The report, released on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, argues that inequality in India is increasing while welfare spending is decreasing.

The Congress party claims that the government is presenting a "manufactured growth narrative" that does not reflect the economic realities faced by the majority of the population. They are calling for transparency and honest economic figures in the upcoming budget. Rajeev Gowda, Chairman of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Research Department, stated that the government is "fixated on slashing welfare" and dismantling the social safety net for the poor, youth, farmers, and women. He added that the government's "triumphalist propaganda" is reminiscent of the "India Shining" campaign of a previous NDA regime.

The report highlights several key areas of concern:

• Rising Inequality: The report states that the top 10% of the population now accounts for 58% of national income, while the bottom half receives only 15%. The top 1% owns approximately 40% of the national wealth, compared to 6.4% held by the bottom 50%.
• Declining Welfare: The Congress accuses the government of steadily rolling back welfare spending.
• Jobless Growth: The report claims that the economy is experiencing a "jobless growth" pattern, with corporate profits rising while employment generation stagnates. Manufacturing and service sectors have seen a decline in employment share between 2017-18 and 2023-24, with a rise in agricultural employment signaling a return to low-productivity work. While corporate profits grew by over 22% in 2023-24, job growth remained limited to 1.5%. Youth unemployment was at 15% in September 2025, rising to 18.4% in urban areas, with one in four urban young women unable to find work.
• Data Credibility: The Congress questions the credibility of the government's economic data, referencing the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s decision to give India's statistics a "C" grade. They also cite former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, who suggested that India's GDP growth may be overstated by around 2.5 percentage points. Amitabh Dubey, a member of the AICC's research department, argued that growth benefiting only a small elite cannot be termed success and that rising inequality and shrinking welfare are warning signs of massive economic mismanagement.

The Congress party is urging the government to present real, transparent numbers to the country and to avoid manipulated figures that mislead the people. The party aims to expose what it considers misleading economic figures presented by the government, especially as the Economic Survey and Union Budget approach. They argue that terms like "Goldilocks Moment" do not represent the economic hardships faced by many. The party also highlighted concerns over the "Make in India" initiative, the decline in manufacturing, and air pollution, calling for transparency in these areas as well.