The Congress on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) criticised the Centre over the rise in inflation, saying the government that came to power promising “achche din” was not only “stealing votes” but also savings, and that it was time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pick up his “jhola” and leave.
“The impact of inflation isn’t confined to just the dinner plate. Essentials like transportation, education, clothing-shoes, and household goods are all getting more expensive,” Mr. The poor were losing their daily bread from their plates, the middle class was seeing their savings vanish, and the burden of debt kept growing, but the Prime Minister was drowned in arrogance, paying no attention to people’s troubles, he alleged. “When a vote-stealing government has no fear of the people’s anger or losing votes, why would it care about the public? That’s exactly what’s happening now. Inflation keeps rising, public outrage over vote theft keeps growing, but the Prime Minister sits there like a mauni baba,” Mr. The government, however, has dismissed the claims and pointed to GDP numbers.
Retail inflation had steadily risen from 3.40% in March 2026 to 5.54% in September 2026, marking the highest level in 23 months, he said, according to government data.
Ramesh said. “The government that came to power promising ‘achche din’ is not only stealing votes but also robbing savings,” he said. “Ab unke liye jhola uthane ka waqt aa gaya hai [It is now time for him to pick up his bag and leave],” he added. The Congress had, on Monday (October 12, 2026), criticised the Modi government over the rise in prices during the festive season, saying “jumlebaaz” Prime Minister Modi must answer how long common people would have to endure this “economic catastrophe. The Opposition party had claimed inflation had spiralled out of control, and said it was the consequence of the failure of those who had promised ‘achche din’. The party has been flagging the issue of rising prices and accusing the government of following “anti-people” policies.
Food inflation rose to 7.74% in September from 5.97% the previous month, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO). Headlines report that inflation reached 5.54% in September, but the real story is that food inflation has hit 7.74%, meaning the prices of almost every food item have crossed all limits. For instance, onions are up 108%, garlic 55%, ginger 63%, and lemons 36%,” Mr.
“Vote theft is the truth, back-breaking inflation is the reality.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, said inflation kept rising and public outrage over “vote chori” kept growing, but the Prime Minister sat “like a mauni baba. Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X .
