A surprising LinkedIn post by Gurugram-based investment banker Sarthak Ahuja has triggered widespread discussion across social media platforms, calling into question what it means to be “middle class” in urban India today. According to Ahuja, a ₹70 lakh annual salary a figure many would consider upper-middle class or even affluent may now fall squarely within what he terms the "new middle class." His argument is based on a simple truth: