Poor deprived of their right to dream: Rahul Gandhi flags rising costs of houses

New Delhi | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday flagged concerns over the rising costs of houses, especially in big cities, and said the next time "someone tells you the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, show them the truth about your domestic budget".

Gandhi shared on his WhatsApp channel a media report which claimed that even for the top 5 per cent of urban families by income in Maharashtra, buying a house in Mumbai would take more than 100 years of savings.

"Yes, you read it right - and if you don't believe it, let me repeat it: 'To buy a house in Mumbai, even the richest five per cent of India's people will have to save 30 per cent of their income for 109 years!'" Gandhi said.

"This is the condition of most big cities, where you work hard in search of opportunities and success. And, where will so much savings come from?" he said in his post in Hindi on his WhatsApp channel.

The inheritance of the poor and the middle class is not wealth, but responsibilities -? expensive education of children, worry about expensive treatment, responsibility of parents or a small car for the family, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

"Still, there is a dream in the hearts - 'one day' we will have a house of our own! But when that 'one day' is 109 years away even for the rich, then understand that the poor have been deprived of their right to dreams," Gandhi said.

"Every family needs a comfortable four-walls and a roof over its head - but unfortunately, it costs more than your entire life's hard work and savings," he said.

"The next time someone tells you the Gross Domestic Product figures, show them the truth about your domestic budget - and ask, who is this economy for?" Gandhi said.