Modi govt wants to take away right to live after right to vote: Kharge

• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accuses the Modi government of failing to address rising inflation, household debt and declining incomes.

• Kharge claims food inflation has risen to 7.74 per cent, while household debt has increased by 36.7 per cent.

• Congress MP Jairam Ramesh says young people and the middle class are bearing the brunt of the economic strain.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, 28 October attacked the Centre over rising inflation, mounting debt and declining incomes, urging the government to acknowledge the country's economic distress and take concrete steps to generate employment and rein in prices.

He alleged that the Narendra Modi government, which was 'hell-bent on snatching away the right to vote, now wants to take away the right to live'.

'Backbreaking inflation' eating into household incomes

In a post on X, Kharge said 'backbreaking inflation' was eating into people's earnings amid the festive season.

Citing figures, he 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 and household financial savings had declined by four per cent.

He also claimed that retail inflation stood at 5.54 per cent and wholesale inflation at 11.39 per cent.

'People have lost 12 years waiting for achhe din'

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Kharge said, 'If the BJP, which is staging protests while in power these days, and Modi ji ever find time from their nonsensical rhetoric, they should watch the BJP's advertisement from before 2014 that said "enough of the burden of inflation" once again.'

He claimed that people had lost 12 years waiting for 'achhe din (good days)'.

Earlier, Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh had alleged in a post on X that the Centre was manipulating figures to conceal the actual extent of inflation, with young people and the middle class bearing the greatest burden of the prevailing economic conditions.

'Rising inflation, mounting debt, falling incomes — the middle class has been left with nothing but devastation under the Modi government,' he said.

Young people bearing the brunt

Ramesh claimed that young people were being hit hardest by the state of the economy and shrinking employment opportunities. According to him, companies were hiring fewer people than before, while many workers were losing jobs they had held for years.

The Congress leader said incomes and savings were declining relative to inflation, even as the debt burden on households was rising rapidly. He claimed that wages had either stagnated or, when adjusted for inflation, people's real purchasing power had declined.

While the wealth of the rich and corporate profits were increasing, Ramesh alleged, middle-class families were finding it increasingly difficult to manage their household budgets.

GDP figures cannot conceal ground realities

The Congress leader alleged that families were being forced to dip into their savings to make ends meet amid difficult economic conditions, while the government was citing gross domestic product (GDP) figures to deny the reality on the ground.

'GDP figures never tell us who is benefiting from growth and how much better the lives of ordinary people have become,' he said.

Ramesh claimed that GDP figures could not conceal ground realities when a large share of income and wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few, while ordinary households were struggling with inflation, debt and dwindling savings.

He said claims of economic growth would be meaningful only if its benefits reached ordinary people. 'Our clear demand is that the government acknowledge the reality of economic distress, increase employment opportunities and take concrete steps to control inflation,' Ramesh said.