The Congress on Monday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over escalating food prices ahead of Diwali, asserting that the Prime Minister should set aside his monthly radio broadcast and concentrate on the difficulties faced by citizens. Congress general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh highlighted media reports referencing Reserve Bank of India data, noting that continuous increases in food prices are heavily straining household budgets across the country.
Mr. Ramesh also drew attention to reports indicating a sharp spike in retail dry fruit prices ahead of the festive season, with items such as pistachios, almonds, cashews, and cardamom becoming dearer by ₹10 to ₹300 per kilogram. In a social media post written in Hindi, he argued that inflation persists according to government data, forcing ordinary families to choose between celebrating festivals and managing their basic household expenses.
Describing the situation as a stark contradiction to past governance promises, the Congress leader stated that the harsh reality of soaring inflation is undermining family finances. He pointed out that onion prices have jumped by 85 percent and sugar by 34 percent over the past four months. Furthermore, he noted that within a single month, tomatoes, arhar dal, and chana dal have experienced price increases of 8.5 percent, 3.5 percent, and 3.1 percent, respectively, while premium items like almonds have reached ₹1,300 per kilogram.
Accusing the Prime Minister of readily highlighting gross domestic product figures while ignoring the struggles of the common public, Mr. Ramesh argued that runaway inflation has broken household budgets while inflation-adjusted incomes have either stagnated or fallen over the past decade. The opposition party has repeatedly targeted the administration over rising costs, accusing leaders of implementing anti-people economic policies, whereas the government has previously deflected such criticism by pointing to broader macroeconomic growth indicators.