In March, to celebrate the marriage of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump flew in. As did the entertainment: Rihanna and Akon.
Authorities had reportedly granted special permission for non-military jets to land at the venue's nearest airport, usually reserved for India's armed forces. Jairam Ramesh, an opposition politician, posted on X at the time: "When it comes to helping out his rich industrialist friends, prime minister Modi is willing to do anything."
After a decade in power that has, according to a recent study, left 40% of wealth in the hands of 1% of the population, the inequality that Modi's favoured tycoons personify may help explain the shock loss of his Bharatiya Janata party's parliamentary majority this week.
This story is from the June 08, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 08, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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