Marx to market, Bengal voters are no longer buying inequality narrative

Apr 25, 2026 | 19:30 IST

Voters care not a fig for statistical debates. What they do know is that soaring stock markets have made the wealthy wealthier. However, they are not unhappy that Mukesh Ambani has become richer, nor are they happy that Anil Ambani has gone bust. They don’t care either way because, unlike Left ideologues, they do not think that they are poor because the rich are getting richer

During election campaigns, it becomes clear which issues matter most to voters and which do not. Marxist intellectuals writing in learned journals have long railed against entrenched inequality in India. CPM veterans like Biman Bose say that Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and Narendra Modi in New Delhi throw a few crumbs to the masses through freebies at election time, but have no interest in fundamental change in inequality. This narrative of capitalist exploitation finds few takers in the current election campaign in West Bengal.

The recent Wealth Tracker India 2026 report claimed that the richest 1% of Indians control over 40% of national wealth. The richest 10% get nearly 60% of the national income, while the bottom half survives on a 15% share. The report says that the number of dollar billionaires in India rose from one in 1991 to 358 by 2025. Today, 1,688 individuals in India are worth over Rs₹1,000 crore each, and their cumulative wealth totals almost 50% of India’s GDP.

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Marx to market, Bengal voters are no longer buying inequality narrative

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TOI

Marx to market, Bengal voters are no longer buying inequality narrative

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