"India Was Richest Country": Shashi Tharoor Recap As New Show Launched

Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor has announced that the first part of his new show for RT, Imperial Receipts, has been launched. "What did the Empire truly leave behind? The receipts tell another story. Imperial Receipts Episode 1: The Empire is now live on my YouTube channel," he said in an Instagram post.

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RT, meanwhile, shared a snippet from one of his interviews eight years ago, in which he had pointed out that India was one of the richest and most prosperous nations before the British colonial rule.

Speaking to Afshin Rattansi, Mr Tharoor had said that in the 1800s, India accounted for 23 per cent of the global GDP, a figure that plummeted to just 1.8 per cent by 1947. Britain's GDP grew by 347 per cent over 250 years, while India's shrank.

Shashi Tharoor: India was RICHEST Country in World Before the British Empire

???? @GUnderground_TV https://t.co/yAM5uE5rTZ pic.twitter.com/rcmCl2SwHQ

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 2, 2025

"Britain went from being a poor, underdeveloped country to an outpost of human civilisation, a beacon of prosperity, gold, and commerce. India, on the other hand, became the post in charge of third world destitution, poverty, disease, malnutrition, and suffering," Mr Tharoor said.

???????????????? Colonialism in Numbers: Britain's GDP Grew 347%, India's Hit Rock Bottom - Imperial Receipts with @ShashiTharoor

India went from being one of the most prosperous nations in the world, to a posterchild for destitution & suffering. Britain went from being a poor, desperate… https://t.co/uLpZzPPmVk pic.twitter.com/duRphOs77t

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 1, 2025

India's share in global GDP in the 1800s was 23 per cent, which fell to a meagre 1.8 per cent in 1947.

Asked about the East India Company's role in India's colonial history, he stated, "Britain is just dotted with the visible representations of uniform India. One thing you folks have never done is just say sorry."

"India was the richest country in the world before the British Empire's colonialism. India, under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, accounted for 27 per cent of the world economy," said Mr Tharoor.

He also said that when English people say we've missed the bus for the Industrial Revolution, "My answer is: We missed the bus because you threw us under its wheels. The British came in and destroyed the thriving textiles, shipbuilding, and steel industries."