Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 28: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday targeted the Central government over inflation, accusing it of seeking to “eliminate the right to live” amid rising prices of essential commodities.

In a post on X, Kharge said, “The Modi government, desperate to strip away voting rights, now wants to eliminate the right to live as well. Amidst festivals, back-breaking inflation is gobbling up every single penny of earnings.”

Stressing that “numbers tell the truth”, Kharge claimed that food inflation had risen from 2.13 per cent to 7.74 per cent, household debt had increased by 36.7 per cent, household financial savings had declined by 4 per cent, retail inflation stood at 5.54 per cent and wholesale inflation at 11.39 per cent.

He also shared a table comparing the prices of essential commodities between May 2014 and October 2026.

According to the table, the retail price of onions had increased from Rs 23 per kg to Rs 53.32 per kg, a rise of 131.83 per cent. Tomato prices had climbed from Rs 17.50 per kg to Rs 39.62 per kg, marking an increase of 126.40 per cent. Mustard oil prices had risen by 103.73 per cent, from Rs 102 per litre to Rs 207.80 per litre.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Kharge said, “If the BJP, now sitting in power and staging sit-ins today, and Mr Modi ever find time away from their senseless grandstanding, they should rewatch their own BJP ad from before 2014: ‘Enough of inflation's blows!’”

He further asserted that the public had “wasted” 12 years waiting for the promise of “good days”.

Kharge's remarks come amid the Opposition's ongoing campaign against the BJP-led government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led INDIA bloc is planning a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1 to protest against the ECI and press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.