Govt grinding common man in millstone of inflation, unemployment: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that high inflation coupled with rising prices, high taxation and unemployment are destroying households, decimating budgets, discouraging investment and crushing the common man.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi cited a survey that has found people overwhelmingly saying that they fear inflation more than Covid, with 52 per cent claiming that even a new variant of Covid does not scare them as much as inflation does, and another 49.3 per cent stating the biggest fear psychosis they have is in inflation.

"Modi government's continuity, consistence and coherence are restricted to achieving phenomenal and extraordinary heights of inflation. The BJP government is grinding and crushing the common man in the millstone of three things - inflation, unemployment and taxation," he told reporters.

"This unprecedented inflation is destroying households, decimating budgets, discouraging investment, making a living hell for, especially the common man and the medium sector, the medium class," he said.

The Congress leader said this is very serious and is nothing more than this kind of a kick in the solar plexus of the common man.

In a sarcastic vein, he complimented the Modi government for making India achieve unprecedented heights of achievements as it has made the country number one the world's most expensive place for LPG, on per litre Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) cost.

"India is again, thanks to Modi government being number three in the world as far as purchasing power parity of petrol is concerned and as far as PPP price is concerned, India is 8th highest in diesel. When you convert to purchasing power parity, the LPG price in India is number one in the reverse direction followed by countries like Turkey, Fiji, Moldova, even Ukraine is cheaper. When you look at the price of petrol on PPP, only Sudan and Laos are worse than us, even Albania is better than us, we are number three. In diesel, we are behind only Sudan, Albania, Turkey, Myanmar, Georgia, Bhutan and Laos. Friends, this is the reality of all the jumlas you hear, all the sermons you hear," he said.

Singhvi said the RBI is already psychologically preparing people as they had predicted an inflation rate of 4.5 per cent for financial year 2023, but the governor of the country's central bank has now said that we want you to revise your figures from 4.5 to 5.7 per cent inflation.

"Can you believe that and he has added that lot of prices including edible oil prices will continue to remain at an elevated level. It is very easy to fool you by saying international factors are beyond my control. Are those International factors not available or applicable to smaller countries in our neighbourhood, to other countries around the world or do the international factors come and attack only India? These kind of fussy, simplistic explanations assume that you and I eat grass. They assume that we are all foolish," he said.

The Congress leader claimed that food prices have jumped to a 14 month high of 5.43 per cent, as you know food prices are subset of the retail price index. 5.43 per cent in 14 months, while clothing and footwear is at 197 month high.

Talking about daily increase in prices of petrol and diesel, he said, "Today is a special day, there is no increase in petrol, diesel and LPG prices, that is news. No increase is the news, not increasing being a news. The norm is increase every day, the exception is no increase, as people say in a lighter vein, the other news of the day, today there was no raid on any opposition leader."

He claimed that there have been 14 times when petrol and diesel increase has been done in the last 16 days and said in 8 years of Modi regime through excise duty on diesel and petrol, they have collected Rs 26 lakh crore.

Singhvi also condemned the government's attitude of not allowing a discussion on price rise and inflation in Parliament, which was adjourned a day ahead of schedule.