'When will PM Modi speak about people's pain?' | Congress slams govt on inflation rise

With retail inflation climbing to 4.38 per cent in June, the Congress on Tuesday said the rise in prices has disrupted the budgets of ordinary families during the last 12 years of the BJP-led government and asked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak about the pain of the common people. Retail inflation climbed to 4.38 per cent in June mainly due to costlier food items, pushing the rate of price rise above the Reserve Bank's median target of 4 per cent, according to government data released on Monday. This is the first time that retail inflation has surpassed the 4 per cent mark under the new series, which came into effect from January this year. The base year of the new series is 2024.

In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "'Modi sarkaar ke 12 saal ka ye hi hai asli saar: jhoonte vaadon ki bahaar aur janta par mehngaai aur berozgaari ka kroorh vaar!' (The true essence of the Modi government's 12 years: a flood of false promises and a cruel blow to the public in the form of inflation and unemployment!)" "Over the last 12 years of the Modi government, inflation has disrupted the budgets of ordinary families. Government data itself now reveals that retail inflation hit a 17-month high of 4.38 per cent in June, while in rural India, it stands at 4.74 per cent," he said.

Alongside inflation, there are now fears of a hike in bank interest rates, which could increase the burden of home and car EMIs on the middle class, Ramesh stated. Why do profits fill the pockets of capitalists while the burden falls on the backs of the common people, the Congress leader asked. "When will Prime Minister Modi, the patron of capitalists, speak about the pain of the common people?" Ramesh asked further. In June, the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rose to 4.38 per cent from 3.93 per cent in May. The food inflation increased to 5.32 per cent in June from 4.78 per cent in the preceding month, according to CPI data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The top five items with high inflation in June were silver, gold, diamond and platinum jewellery; ginger, tomato, and raisin (kishmish) and monacca, as per the NSO data. On the other hand, the top 5 items with low inflation were potato, peas, motor car and jeep, cumin (jeera), and motorcycle and scooter. While the national average inflation stood at 4.38 per cent, the corresponding CPI for rural and urban areas were 4.74 per cent and 3.92 per cent, respectively.