New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on the central government over rising inflation, stating that while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preoccupied with "buying" other political parties, ordinary citizens cannot afford basic necessities.
Kharge's remarks come amid a wave of defections, with several MPs and MLAs from key opposition parties either merging with the ruling party or expressing support. Six of nine Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in Lok Sabha have reportedly sided with the Eknath Shinde faction. Twenty TMC Lok Sabha MPs decided to merge with the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extend their support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Earlier this year, seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs merged with the BJP.
"Rapidly depleting savings due to high inflation, unaffordability, betrayal of aspirations, inequality, fall in global credibility, youth anger galore! Households perish under the weight of Modi Govt's mismanagement of the economy!" Kharge said in a post on X.
"BJP busy shopping from other parties, but the AAM AADMI can't afford basic necessities!" he added.
Kharge highlighted that retail inflation is at a 16-month high, food inflation stands at 4.78%, tomatoes are disappearing from plates, medical inflation is above 15%, the rupee continues to weaken, foreign investors are pulling back, and youth face a jobs crisis as unemployment rises.
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra cautioned that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) must remain vigilant about the inflation trajectory, especially after fuel price revisions in May. "We need to be watchful of the inflation trajectory. Going forward, revision in retail prices of petrol and diesel in May would lead to higher fuel inflation in the coming months," ANI quoted the governor as saying.
The government hiked petrol prices three times in a month amid continued stress due to the Hormuz blockade, which caused oil supply disruptions because of the US-Iran war.
