India’s Congress attacks Modi over food-price pressure on households
India’s opposition Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the effect of rising food prices on household budgets. Party communications chief Jairam Ramesh cited increases in staple foods and official August food-inflation data, while the government has rejected opposition claims and pointed to economic growth.
India’s Congress party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being insensitive to the pressure that rising food prices are placing on households. Jairam Ramesh, the party’s communications chief, said on Friday that kitchen budgets had risen by between 20 and 25 per cent over three months. He asked when families would receive relief from what he described as back-breaking inflation.
Ramesh cited the example of a homemaker with a monthly income of ₹35,000 and questioned how families were managing their finances during the festival season. He also said declining savings and rising debt were increasing the strain. The Congress politician listed price increases for several food items.
He said arhar dal had risen from ₹105 to between ₹140 and ₹150 per kilogram, moong from ₹95 to ₹120, rice from ₹42-45 to ₹53-55 and mustard oil from ₹165 to ₹190 per litre. Ramesh also cited government data showing food inflation at 5.95 per cent in August. He said the prices of onions, ginger and garlic had increased by 48.27 per cent, 73.82 per cent and 43.60 per cent respectively.
He criticised Modi using the term “pravachan mantri”, translated in the report as “sermonising minister”, and said official figures did not capture the effect of inflation on household finances. Congress has repeatedly accused the government of pursuing policies that hurt ordinary people. The government has dismissed those claims and pointed to the strength of the economy, including the latest gross domestic product figures.
The source material did not include a detailed government response to the individual price figures cited by Ramesh.
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