The declining middle class leaves politics unruffled

The Congress and the united Opposition need to show economic leadership. They have described the symptoms of the economic crisis but failed to create a narrative that goes beyond it

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of those who consider themselves middle class are fighting hard to stay there, and those aspiring to get there will find it harder to do so.

A year ago, the Pew Research Centre reported that India's middle-class population had shrunk by at least 32 million because of the impact of the first wave of the Covid pandemic. The second wave's impact on the middle class's numbers has yet to be available. However, some recent indicators are that its shrinking is likely to have continued.

The Chairman of Maruti Suzuki, R C Bhargava, claimed last week