Ravi_D - 2 July, 2009 | Bangalore | Politics | India | Media Reports | wealth | Issues | Candidates

Some interesting observations from P Sainath's piece The Age of aam crorepati on India Together:

...If you are worth over Rs.50 million, you are 75 times more likely to win an election to the Lok Sabha than if you are worth under Rs.1 million.

...Its 543 MPs are worth close to Rs.28 billion. (Of which 64 Union Cabinet members from the Lok Sabha account for Rs.5 billion).

...If you are worth over Rs.50 million, you are 75 times more likely to win an election to the Lok Sabha than if you are worth under Rs.1 million.

...The number of 'crorepatis' in the present Lok Sabha is up 98 per cent as compared to 2004. Then there were 154, now there are 306 - almost double. ...The average worth of a Lok Sabha MP is Rs.51 million. But there are 74 MPs with serious criminal charges against them whose wealth averages Rs.60 million. That is, they are well entrenched in Parliament's Platinum tier. And the average wealth of a Cabinet Minister is around Rs.75 million. Ah well, it's a hard climb to the top.

Intesting numbers. True leader selection at work. A reminder that money indeed matters - just in case you were with me in that dreamy ideological democratic world.

Ravi

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