"To Soothe Its Troubled Prince": Sudhanshu Trivedi Slams Congress Mock Parliament
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi attacks Congress for its mock Parliament and cites a World Bank report showing a massive drop in Indian poverty.
In a scathing attack on the opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Sudhanshu Trivedi has criticised the Congress party for organising a mock Parliament. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Trivedi alleged that the move was a desperate attempt to manage internal frustrations after the party failed in its efforts to incite unrest and chaos across the country.
"Soothed the Troubled Prince"
Trivedi did not mince words while targeting the Congress leadership, specifically referring to the mock session as a tool to "soothe its troubled prince," a thinly veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi. He argued that while the Congress was busy with symbolic political exercises, the actual ground reality of India's economic progress tells a story far different from the one the opposition narrates.
Citing the World Bank on Poverty Reduction
To back his claims, the BJP MP cited a 2025 World Bank report, asserting that India has achieved the fastest rate of poverty reduction ever recorded between 2011 and 2023. According to Trivedi, the report highlights a dramatic shift in the lives of millions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Key statistics highlighted by Trivedi include:
- Poverty Drop: He stated that while a significant portion of the population—approximately 27 percent—previously lived below the poverty line, that figure has plummeted to just 2.6 percent.
- Daily Income Rise: Trivedi pointed out that roughly 13 to 14 years ago, 57 percent of Indians earned less than 4.2 dollars (adjusted for current value). Today, only 16 percent of the population earns less than Rs 400 per day, meaning 84 percent of Indians now earn above that threshold.
"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," Trivedi asserted.
Economic Equality and the Gini Index
Moving beyond poverty, Sudhanshu Trivedi also brought up the Gini Index, a global measure of economic inequality. He claimed that in August 2025, the World Bank released data showing India's score at 22.5, placing it as the fourth most economically equal country in the world.
He further claimed that among the elite group of G7 and G20 nations, India maintains the lowest level of inequality, contradicting the narrative of a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Clash of Ideologies: Modi vs. Congress
Trivedi used the platform to contrast the current government's approach with that of the previous UPA regime and the current Congress leadership. He recalled a statement attributed to Rahul Gandhi in August 2013, where he allegedly described poverty as a "mindset."
Trivedi also referenced former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, noting his remark that "money does not grow on trees." The BJP MP argued that these perspectives reflect a mindset that kept a vast section of the Indian population trapped in extreme poverty, whereas the current administration has focused on tangible results and systemic upliftment.